


Student

by Aerle



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, Lapdance, M/M, Mentions of Stalking, Pole Dancing, Stripping, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 12:20:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 36,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6153538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aerle/pseuds/Aerle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For his birthday, Marco is dragged to a strip club by his brothers. His reservations are forgotten when he lays his eyes on one of the strippers, a young freckled man with raven black hair. However, he soon realises that a stripper has a life outside of work as well...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Catching Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Please check the tags for warnings. Revised version of FanFiction.net

“When you said we were going to a strip club, I was assuming there would be, you know, women,” Thatch said, looking around hesitantly. Everywhere he looked were scantily dressed men walking around and dancing. He quickly drank the remainder of his beer and asked the waiter in the leather thong for another one.

“Will you quit your complaining? We’re here for Marco’s birthday,” Izo snapped, though he was obviously enjoying himself with the stripper in his lap.

“But Marco enjoys boobs as well,” Thatch whined, almost wincing when one of the entertainers offered him a lap dance. He didn’t know how much more of this he could take. He needed Marco to be on his side. “Don’t you, Marco? Marco?”

But Marco wasn’t listening. His eyes were glued to the stripper currently on stage. The muscular man was sliding down the pole upside down like it was nothing, before flipping over and landing gracefully on his feet. He flipped his ebony hair back, revealing a cheerful freckled face. He smiled at the crowd, while he took the pole in one hand and lowered himself sensually. Arching his back, he straightened again, his eyes scanning the cheering crowd. His dark eyes landed on Marco, his smile turning into a smirk.

Marco forgot to breathe when they made eye contact. The beautiful man on stage hooked his leg around the stripper pole and twirled around it, like this show was just for Marco. His mouth had gone completely dry, all his reservations about going to a strip club forgotten. The raven haired stripper was perfect. His upper body was trained to resemble like a Greek god and the shorts he was wearing hung low enough to reveal the beginning of the V-shaped muscles.

Izo couldn’t suppress a chuckle when he saw Marco gawking at the performer. “I think I already know who you’re getting a lap dance from… Happy birthday, Marco.”


	2. Meet the Stripper

Marco remembered to blink once the ebony haired stripper had left the stage. He also remembered he wasn’t alone and realised that there were two sets of eyes aimed at him, one no doubt accompanied by a sly smirk. Dreading what he would find, he reluctantly turned his head.

On Izo’s face lay a smirk that, would it grow any more, would split his face in two. Thatch had a less clear expression, something between wanting to tease Marco, but on the other hand, he was too uncomfortable with all the scantily dressed handsome men walking around.

“I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that you are enjoying yourself,” Izo said to Marco.

Marco opened his mouth to respond, but closed it again when he realised he couldn’t talk his way out of this one. After all, he had practically been drooling when the raven haired stripper was on stage. Quickly, he checked his shirt. Yes, _practically_. “Maybe it isn’t that bad,” he muttered.

Izo hadn’t told him where they were going when he and Thatch dragged Marco into Izo’s car. Thatch had known, though he had had a different idea than Izo had, apparently. Well, Marco would have been equally uncomfortable in a female strip club, but then at least Thatch would have had a good time. Now Izo was the only one. “Shall we go now?” Marco asked, already getting up to leave. The black haired stripper was gone and so was his trance.

But Izo would have none of that. “No, no. First you’re gonna have some fun. And Thatch isn’t nearly drunk enough.”

Marco looked at Thatch, who just finished his fifth beer and ordered another. When he looked back, he saw Izo disappear into the crowd. A feeling of dread came over him. Izo wouldn’t…?

Of course he would. After a few minutes – which seemed to last forever – Izo came back followed by the dashing freckled stripper. Marco looked around for help, but Thatch had already moved to the bar to keep the beer flowing. Frantically, Marco tried to think of some way – _any_ way – to escape. But it was like the stripper pinned him down in his seat as soon as their eyes met. He felt like a deer looking in headlights – though this would be a beautiful way to go.

Izo came to a halt right before Marco, as did the exotic dancer. The latter grinned at him. “I heard it’s your birthday. So I’m here to make the day extra special.”

Marco couldn’t do anything but stare up to the beautiful man. Up close he could even see his flawless skin better, his rock hard abs… Marco’s gaze drifted up to the stunning chestnut coloured eyes.

Izo chuckled and said, “Please go easy on him. It’s his first time here. We wouldn’t want his brain to overheat.”

“Don’t worry, he’s in good hands,” the stripper said smirking. He turned to Marco. “Why don’t we go somewhere more private?” He reached out his hand.

Marco started at it dumbfounded, like it was a foreign object.

Izo chuckled again, placing a hand before his mouth. “It seems like it’s already too late. My, you have quite an effect on him… Marco, why don’t you follow the nice mister?”

Izo’s teasing snapped him out of his haze, and Marco glared at him. Still, he got up and followed the stripper’s perfect swaying hips, ignoring the encouragements shouted after him by Izo.

He followed the exotic dancer to a small room with only a chair in the middle of it. The dark haired man gestured him to take a seat. He obeyed, never taking his eyes of the other man. The stripper was dressed in nothing more than black shorts – leather ones, he saw now he was up close – and boots.

“So,” the dancer started, “is there something you would like me to do?”

Marco’s brain was still trying to make sense of the situation. He was alone in a room, with a stripper. The most beautiful man he had ever seen. The one person he knew for sure that if he touched them, his brain would melt.

He was so lost in thoughts, he missed what the other man said, almost gawking at him.

The stripper chuckled. “You really are new.” He stepped in front of Marco, between the latter’s spread legs. “Why don’t I start by giving you a lap dance?”


	3. Lap Dance

Marco could only nod at the suggestion. His mouth was dry and his brain wasn’t fully functioning right now. The fact that he was alone with the gorgeous stripper, who did all those wonderful things to him, didn’t really help.

The stripped chuckled again. “You don’t have to worry about tipping me either, your friend has already taken care of that. So just sit back and enjoy.”

Marco nodded again.

“Okay, then.” Music started to play as if on cue. “Let’s see if I can make you talk. Just one rule: no touching.”

For the umpteenth time, Marco nodded. He didn’t doubt his brain would melt if he touched the stripper anyway.

“Good boy.” The dancer walked around him, seductively swaying his hips, and stood behind him. Macro could feel the warmth of his hands as they grabbed the back of the chair. He tried to look over his shoulder what the man was doing. The stripper lowered his body, letting his hands slide down on the back. Then he slowly straightened again, rolling his head and upper body.

It was hard to see from the angle Marco was at, but just knowing what the man was doing sent blood he didn’t know he still had in is brain, south.

The music was slow and seductive, and so was the stripper. After he was standing up again, he walked around the chair to Marco’s front, swaying his hips, which seemed to be his trademark. He stopped between Marco’s legs, causing Marco to swallow thickly, and turned around. He bent forward, swaying his perfect ass in Marco’s face, before straightening again. The stripper’s hands roamed over his own body. Marco licked his lips subconsciously, wondering what those abs would feel like beneath his own hands. The dancer’s skin looked so soft… Marco’s fists clenched and unclenched. Not touching was going to be harder than he thought.

The stripper moved again, this time to his side. One of his hands grabbed the back of the chair, while the other was placed on the seat of the chair… between his legs. Marco could just stare at it, trying not to think about how close that hand was to his crotch. Warmth radiating off the exotic dancer’s body made him look up again. The stripper rolled his upper body, arching his back and bringing his own groin very close to Marco’s face. Marco hated himself for how much he wanted to press his head closer. But no touching, the stripper had said, and the least punishment would be that the show stopped. Even thinking about that was torture in itself. So he focused on the dancer again.

The ebony haired man had turned again. He placed his feet a little further apart and rolled his head again, his hips swaying along. He repeated the motion, this time pushing his hips a little further back, so that Marco had again a nice view of his behind. Marco wouldn’t mind seeing more of that, but the stripper already moved on. This time his slowly squatted down, letting his hands slide along his upper legs as he did so, and spreading his legs. Then, leisurely, he came back up again, before swaying his hips and going down again.

Marco bit on his lip nervously. Every time he thought he couldn’t get more turned on, the dancer made a new move. Again, the stripper walked to the back of the chair, moving his hips from left to right and driving Marco mad as he couldn’t see it very well. The dark haired man let go of the chair, but didn’t stop dancing there. Marco was starting to wonder how far he could turn his neck before his head would fall off. On the stripper’s face lay a bright smile, his eyes closed in bliss. He seemed to be enjoying what he was doing, and he should, because he was fantastic at it.

The dancer came into his view again, rolling his body almost obscenely and touching himself, his hands roaming his body. Marco was chewing his lip, not even realizing he had drawn blood. His eyes were fixed on the black haired man before him.

The stripper flipped his hair back with practiced ease and turned around again, showing off his ass. He was again standing between Marco’s legs – which wasn’t doing much good for his already questionable sanity – and slid down until he was crouching. His hands left his own body and were placed on Marco’s knees. It surprised Marco that he didn’t spontaneously combusted into flames. The stripper had said no touching, but apparently that only meant Marco wasn’t allowed to touch. His brain effectively stopped thinking when the man on this floor opened up his legs in a suggestive manner.

The hands left his legs, and he immediately missed their warmth. Much was made up for, however, when the stripper hopped up, his hands still on the floor and giving Marco again a nice view of his ass. The dark haired man let his hands wander over his legs again, rolling his head and body seductively while he gradually straightened. He repeated the motion, bent forward and rolling his body up. When he was standing up again, he circled the chair again. Marco felt fingers intertwine with his hair. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling and had to suppress a whine when the hands left him again. The stripper deemed it time for the grand finale. He forced Marco’s legs a little more open and sat down in front of him, his back turned to Marco. He placed his legs apart, reeling his body, before closing them and repeating the movement. He looked back at Marco, a smirk telling that he knew what was going on inside Marco’s pants on his freckled face, and he got up again.

The moment he turned around, the music stopped playing.


	4. Pole

The music had stopped and the trance was broken. The stripper seemed a little out of breath and combed with a hand through his hair. Marco stared up to him, blinking like he just woke up from a dream. And what a wonderful dream it had been.

“I take it you enjoyed the show?” The freckled man grinned at him. “I have to be on stage in a few.” He took a step closer, caressing with his hand across Marco’s unshaven chin and leaned in, whispering: “Happy birthday~” With that, he left the small room, leaving Marco feeling a strange mixture of arousal and confusion.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, alone, on that chair, without a stripper dancing around him. Finally, his mind had crawled out of the gutter and his body allowed him to get up. After all, his dancer would be performing again…

Outside of the room, Marco cast a glance at the stage – and immediately regretted it. The freckled stripper wasn’t on yet. Instead, there was a man, wearing a purple leotard cut out low and fishnet stockings. The combination would not look good on anybody, but the man wearing it had definitely not the posture for it. He was also wearing heavy make-up. In all, the sight made Marco cringe. However, Izo was sitting in the front row, encouraging the stripper when he yelled “Yihaw!” and danced around obscenely.

Shaking his head – and trying to get that mental image from his mind’s eye – Marco decided to find Thatch. The poor guy should be pretty drunk right now.

As expected, he found Thatch at the bar, emptying his who knew how many shot glass and turned around when Marco called his name. “Marco! You’re back! You brain still intact?” Thatch snickered and hiccupped.

“I’m fine,” Marco deadpanned. Without the gorgeous stripper in sight, he could think straight again.

“Oh, that reminds me!” Thatch slapped on his leg. “I found you another one you might like.” He pulled at an annoyed looking stripper’s hand. “See? Nice and sturdy, just how you like it.”

Marco eyed the exotic dancer with a sceptic look. Sure, he was good looking, with his muscular upper body and tanned skin. He had a handsome face, a strong jaw and from his left ear hung three earrings. But why the green hair? And when Marco looked down, he saw that the man was only clad in a thong – which wasn’t weird per se, they were in strip club after all – but from his side hung three swords. It was… strange.

“Thatch, let go of the nice man,” he said in a stern voice.

Thatch pouted. “What? Don’t you like him?”

Marco exchanged a glace with the stripper, who seemed to be wanting to be anywhere but here, if his scowl was anything to go by. “Sure. But I’m gonna take you home now. You’re drunk.”

“But I’m just starting to like it here!” Thatch protested, only proving how drunk he really was.

Marco sighed. “Of course you do. Now, stay here and be a good boy while I get Izo. And no touching strippers!”

Thatch pouted a little, but seemed to have forgotten all about it when a new drink as placed in front of him. Shaking his head, Marco headed for the stage where he had last seen Izo. There, he froze.

His freckled stripper had taken the stage again. He was standing behind the stripper pole, looking down, but with a grin on his face. His clothes left even less to the imagination, right now, he was wearing nothing but a thong and boots. When the music started to play, he grabbed the pole with one hand and rolled his hips forward, flipping his hair back. He grabbed the pole with his other hand, kicking one leg into the air as he showed off his flexibility. After that, he grabbed the rod with both hands, lifting himself up and spinning around it. He landed on his feet again, flashing his audience a grin, before turning back to his performance. Rolling his hips again, he pressed his ass backwards, showing off his goods for anyone interested.

Marco stood entranced as the stripper moved his hips from left to right, before encircling his legs around the pole. Using his upper body to make himself spin around it, he let himself slide back on the floor, arching his back as he did so. Holding the pole, he spun around it, using the speed created to fling his legs up. Hanging above the floor, he threw his legs up once more, flipping himself over until he was hanging upside down. He let go of the rod with his hands, leaning backwards. The muscles of his torso were rippling from exertion. Small drops of sweat dripped down and Marco had to resist the urge to climb up on stage to lick the man’s abs.

The stripper let himself slide down again, using only his legs, before he gripped the pole again. He placed his hands on the ground and slowly flipped himself over as his legs released the pole. He landed on his knees, grabbing the pole once more and rolling his torso again. Pulling himself to his feet, he again pressed his ass backwards until he had straightened. Then he let himself hang back, holding on to the pole with one hand, his head fallen back as the music slowly faded away. Still panting he flashed another grin and Marco could swear the freckled man looked at him.

“Marco!”

Perfectly manicured fingers snapped in front of his face.

Marco shook his head, trying to wake himself from the trance he had been in. That stripper really had a bad influence on him. Beside him he heard a chuckle. “My, that private room must look like a bloodbath.”

For a moment, Marco looked confused at Izo, until he felt something warm drip from his nose. Embarrassed he grabbed the tissue held out to him and pressed it to his face, trying to will Izo’s mocking laughter away.


	5. Stalker

“Has everyone left yet?”

When an affirmative answer came from the bouncers, Ace sighed in relief. “Thank God. These shorts pinch off my balls.”

“You do have a nice ass in them, candy boy,” one of the other strippers, Ivankov, said and gave him a wink.

Ace rolled his eyes. Ivankov was nice, but rather eccentric. He preferred to wear ladies’ clothes, like right now, he was wearing a leotard and fishnet stockings. But their boss did want to have something for everyone, and Ivankov was rather popular in a certain group of people. The cross dresser who came with the blond man from tonight, for instance.

Like he could read his mind – which Ace wouldn’t put past him – Ivankov asked: “So, how did it go with the blond birthday boy? He seemed to like you.”

Ace shrugged. “He was okay. Kept his hands to himself. Though, that’s probably only because this was his first time at a strip club. Mark my words, next time he will be all over us, like all the other perverts.”

Ivankov flicked against his forehead. “You’re too young to be so bitter, candy boy.”

“He is a little right though,” Zoro, Ace’s friend, said, unbuckling the three swords he had been wearing. Ace had introduced Zoro to stripping, because he needed cash to realise his dream to become the best swordsman in the world. He was perfect for the job, in Ace’s opinion, being muscular, tanned and exotic looking with that green hair of his. And the sword thing found favour with some people. “Most people get more confident after a few visits and therefore more handsy.” He was also flicked against the forehead.

“Speaking of perverts…” Ace motioned to the door where their boss entered. Shanks was pretty laid back when it came to his employees. He used to be a stripper himself, until he lost his arm in an accident.

“So, how did it went tonight?” Shanks always asked this at the end of the night. The strippers got the chance to voice complaints and such, especially in case one of the clients had crossed a line or something.

No such thing tonight, fortunately, so Ace was a little surprised when Shanks addressed him. “Is it true that you danced for Marco?” Shanks’ grin was threatening to split his face in half.

Ace looked confused to his co-workers and then shrugged. “You mean the blond with the weird hair cut?”

Shanks’ grin grew even more, if possible. “That’s the one. The old pervert,” he said more to himself than anyone else, shaking his head and still smirking. “I hadn’t expected that he’d like you so much, though. Otherwise I’d have make you my birthday present.”

Ace merely rolled his eyes. If that guy knew Shanks, he had to be a pervert. It surprised him it had been the blond’s – Marco’s – first time, though. If his friend owned a strip club…

Well, it didn’t matter, really. He would dance for him if he came back and if not, he probably wouldn’t see him again, anyway.

Ace changed his clothes – not bothering with underwear, he had been wearing tight enough things tonight, thank you very much – and waited for Zoro as they walked home together. Zoro had the tendency to get lost easily, so Ace had told him that his house was on the same route, even though walking to Zoro’s house was actually a detour for him – he would never find out anyway.

They walked in amicable silence, both tired from work, until they got close to Zoro’s house. He had a hot blond neighbour who would leave when he arrived, or so Zoro had told Ace. Ace had resolved into checking this man out one time, but as usual, he was too exhausted to do anything but go home and sleep. So he said goodbye to Zoro and set course to his own house.

Walking through an ally, he suddenly heard a familiar voice. “Had a nice night?”

Ace sighed. “Yes, it was great. You weren’t there.”

Smoker appeared from the shadows, two cigars hanging from his mouth. “Come on, don’t be like that. Why are you still working for that old pervert? You could quit there and just dance for me. I’ll put you through college.”

“On a cop’s salary?” Ace let out a laugh. “Yeah, right. Besides, contrary to what you believe, there actually come decent people there. Tonight, for instance, I got to dance for someone who could keep his hands to himself, unlike some people.”

“If he doesn’t touch you, he probably doesn’t appreciate you like I do.” Smoker took a step closer.

“Stefan! Down, boy!”

That was the only warning they got before a large, white and hairy creature suddenly tackled Smoker to the floor. Ace looked wide eyed at what appeared to be a small polar bear, which had its front legs placed on Smoker’s chest and was growling.

“Dammit, Stefan!” The owner of the creature caught up with them, yanking the beast at its collar, pulling it backwards, although it was still growling. “Are you all right?” the owner asked Smoker worriedly. “I’m terribly sorry.”

Smoker grumbled something under his breath before he took his heels. Ace had trouble keeping a straight face.

“Was he bothering you?”

Ace was a little surprised when the question was directed at him. “Smokey? Nah, he wouldn’t hurt me. He’s just a little annoying.” He turned to face his saviour and was met by a familiar face. A small smirk on his face. “So you can talk.”

Marco seemed to recognise him now as well, as his droopy eyes suddenly widened. “You’re a little less distractingly dressed now,” he muttered, scratching the shaven part of his head.

Ace chuckled and kneeled with the white beast thing. Upon closer inspection, he decided that it probably was a large dog after all. The animal let him scratch his ears and happily wagged his tail.

“He seems to like you,” Marco said with a smile.

Ace smirked. “Well, dogs tend to be like their owners.” He was pleased that that made Marco flush a little and murmur it wasn’t his dog. Ace chuckled. “So, how was your birthday? Got any nice presents?”

Marco started to tell about his day, and Ace couldn’t help but smile. Marco didn’t seem to be half bad. Guys like Smoker made him kind of wary for visitors of strip clubs, some were handsy, but others, like Smoker, had more stalker tendencies. Marco seemed to be nice enough, though.

When Marco had finished his story, Ace, who had kept on petting Stefan, rose. “Well, I’m glad you had a nice day. I have to get going now, though.”

“D-do you want me to walk you home? In case someone bothers you again?” Marco blurted out.

Ace froze and the smile disappeared from his face. “No, thank you!” With that, he ran off, zigzagging through the streets and taking a detour to make sure he wasn’t followed, before panting coming to a stop at his house.

That was just what he needed. Another stalker.


	6. Counsellor

The annoying beeping sound of his alarm woke him the next morning. Groggily, he slammed on it to make it shut up and sat up in bed, rubbing his face to wake himself up. He had barely slept that night, being too hung up about what had happened.

Thatch and Izo had gotten him what he had thought was the best birthday present ever, that gorgeous stripper from the previous night. He even got a private dance that still affected him if he thought about if for too long.

After leaving the strip club – and firmly denying he had actually gotten a bloody nose from watching the freckled stripper on stage – Izo and Thatch had gone home for the night. Marco himself, however, had not been able to sleep, so he had gone to Pops’ house to walk Stefan, his father’s dog. Pops had been asleep already, of course, but Marco had the keys, and Stefan seemed more than happy to go outside.

Then, Stefan had suddenly taken off. The dog was quite old and always stayed close to the one walking him, so it definitely surprised Marco when he suddenly ran off. So, he had to chase after Stefan, who was unexpectedly fast for his age, and then Marco was utterly shocked to find that the usually friendly and mellow Stefan had actually _tackled_ a man, and not a weak looking one either. Of course, he had been mad at the dog, but when the tackled man had suddenly taken his heels, Marco had become suspicious, especially since there had been someone else standing next to Stefan, whom the dog didn’t touch. It made sense, Stefan only attacked when he thought someone was in danger, so the guy who had run off had to be bad news. So, he had turned to the other person and asked if the guy had been bothering him.

And then he had realised fate was playing tricks on him. Because the person before him had been none other than the freckled stripper. Granted, he had been wearing more clothes, but the freckles were unmistakable.

The stripper had recognised him as well, since he smirked and remarked: “So you can talk.” During his performance, Marco hadn’t been able to bring out anything, that mesmerised he had been. Now the exotic dancer had more clothes on and wasn’t dancing provokingly, it was easier to talk.

The stripper had knelt down next to Stefan and had started to pet him. They had seemed to get along very nicely, but Marco immediately regretted it when he made a remark about it, as the stripper had come back with: “Well, dogs tend to be like their owners.” He may or may not have blushed at that.

Talking indeed proved to be easier as when the stripper, still petting Stefan, had asked how his birthday had been, and he had started to ramble on. He usually wasn’t much of a talker, but the stripper had made him nervous somehow. Normally, people didn’t effect him this much, but the stripper was both incredibly hot and now turned out to be a nice person as well.

So, when the stripper had said he needed to go home – as it was almost four in the morning – Marco blurted out the offer to bring him home. Because he just had to ruin it somehow. The stripper’s facial expression had changed completely and the grin he had worn all the time disappeared. Too late Marco had realised his mistake, and the stripper had taken off without looking back.

How stupid could he have been? The freckled man just implied that the attacker – or “Smokey”, though Marco doubted that was his real name – was stalking him. So of course he would think the same of Marco. Marco had nothing but the best intentions, but he was a stranger, after all, and could just as easily be a creep who just wanted to know where the stripper lived.

He had thought about it all night and hadn’t been able to sleep because he was beating himself up so much. Apparently, he had dozed off at some point, because now that darn alarm woke him up.

He hoisted himself out of bed. It wasn’t like it mattered anymore. He would just take a shower – not thinking about the stripper – and go to work. It wasn’t like he would see the freckled man again anymore, anyway.

* * *

“Ace, wake up.”

A hand shook his shoulder, but he slapped it away and tried to disappear into the cushions. He was still tired.

“Wake up, dammit!” Sabo’s voice sounded annoyed. “How late were you home last night?”

Groaning, he rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes. “Four-ish?”

Sabo sighed. “Again? I thought you would arrange so that you could go home sooner. Really, this job as a night security guard really takes its toll on you.”

Ace sat up and remained silent. He had never told Sabo he actually worked as a stripper, or his other brother, Luffy, for that matter. The latter wouldn’t even understand and Sabo would make him quit. And he really couldn’t. They were short on cash at it was, having to pay tuition for both Sabo and himself. Luffy had dropped out of university a long time ago, but he had quite the appetite. He did work, but being a dog walker didn’t pay that much.

Sabo worked in their local supermarket. The owner knew about their situation and sometimes gave them food that was past the expiration date. Sabo could only work afternoons, as he had class in the morning, and Ace had a night job. They couldn’t leave Luffy alone for too long, after all.

And with Ace’s job in the strip club, they bare managed to get by. They couldn’t afford for him to quit, so he wouldn’t. Even if it meant lying to his brothers.

Sabo was right, though. The late hours he worked meant he slept during the day. He tried to go to class as often as possible, but his grades had dropped dramatically, since he had barely time to study at home. Which was exactly the reason why Sabo woke him up now.

One of the teachers, Robin, worried about his grades and made him promise to make an appointment with the counsellor at their faculty. He had only agreed to make her stop nagging him about it and contacted the man. Mr Fenwick had emailed him back with a date and time… Today in half an hour. Damn, Sabo shouldn’t have woken him any later.

He quickly threw on some clean clothes while Sabo looked at him worriedly. “I really hope this counsellor guy can help out. You don’t want to be kicked out of university because you didn’t pass your classes…”

“I don’t see what he can do for me anyway. I’m only doing it so that Robin stops nagging me,” he grouched. He liked Robin, he really did, but he could take care of himself.

“’k Bye!” he yelled as he snatched an apple from the fruit bowl and ran out of the door. “Bye Luffy!”

“Bye Ace!” He barely heard Luffy before he pulled the door shut behind him.

The bus ride to the campus was a short one, and Ace didn’t even have time to fall back asleep. He jumped out at his stop and ran towards the building where Mr Fenwick’s office was. He was ten minutes late already.

Panting, he came to a stop in front of the door that said ‘counsellor’ and took a deep breath before he knocked. A voice told him to enter.

Pushing the door open, he froze when he saw the man look up from behind his desk. The counsellor was none other than the blond man from last night.


	7. Coincidence?

“Oh my God, you are a stalker!” was the first thing the boy exclaimed after he had recovered from the initial shock. Well, to call him ‘boy’ wasn’t entirely fair, not with a body like Marco had witnessed last night, doing the things that would make many people blush. But as it turned out, the stripper that gave him a lap dance yesterday, that had swung around a stripper pole like it was nothing, was one and the same Ace Portgas as was now standing in front of him. Granted, now he was fully dressed and had study books tucked under his arm. Marco wouldn’t have believed only a few hours ago that body was only covered by some very short pants.

His musings weren’t helping his case, he realised, so he pushed his thoughts away. “Would you mind keeping it down?” he said irritated. He walked over to the door, noting how Ace shied away from him, and closed it before taking a seat behind his desk again. “How could I be a stalker? We made this appointment a week ago.”

“You’re telling me that this is a coincidence? Yeah, right. You could have set the whole thing up.” Ace flopped down in the chair Marco gestured to in front of his desk.

Marco cleared his throat and pushed his glasses further up his nose. “I think we can both agree that the… state I was in yesterday proves I had never seen you before.” It was humiliating and he rather forgot about it, but since Ace seemed to be hung up about thinking he was a stalker.

“Maybe you’re a good actor.”

Annoyed, Marco rubbed his temples. “I am not a stalker. Anyway, we’re not here about me. We’re here because of your grades.”

“I’m just here because Robin made me.”

“You mean Ms Nico?”

Ace shrugged.

This specific student was proving to be a handful. “I’ve taken the liberty to look at your grades. Not because I’m stalking you,” he added sharply when he saw that Ace opened his mouth, “but because I need to know what I’m dealing with. Your dropping grades, plus the fact that several teachers have complained that you fell asleep in class, I can only assume it’s because of your job, isn’t it?”

Ace barked out a laugh. “Those are some amazing deduction skills, Sherlock. Anything you can tell me that I don’t know?”

“Have you ever thought about quitting or work fewer hours?” Marco could feel his eyebrow twitch.

Ace pulled his feet off Marco’s desk where he had placed his dirty boots minutes before and leaned in. “What, you think I like dancing for perverts like you?” He sat back in the chair and shrugged. “We need the money.”

Marco decided to let the pervert comment slide – Ace wasn’t that far off with that one, after all – and asked, “You have to pay rent and tuition yourself?”

Ace nodded reluctantly.

“You live with someone?”

“My two brothers.”

“They go to university?”

“One of them does.”

Marco took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. At least Ace was talking now instead of accusing him of stalking. “Alright. Does he get good grades?”

“Of course! Sabo’s the smartest guy you’ll ever meet!”

Marco could hear fondness in Ace’s voice, but as soon as he had said it, Ace slapped his hands over his mouth. Right, giving up the name of his family would give a stalker extra munitions. Deciding on cutting him some slack, Marco pretended he didn’t hear anything an rummaged through some papers. “If he’s smart, there are plenty of scholarships he could apply for. Does he have one already?”

Ace shrugged. “Don’t think so.”

“Alright.” Marco searched on the internet for a while and printed out a few documents. “Here are a few he can apply for, if he’s as smart as you claim.”

Ace stared at the papers handed to him for a moment like it was a dead fish, but then slowly reached out for them. He scanned through the papers. “Nothing for me?”

“They don’t have any for strippers with slipping grades.”

Ace scowled at him.

Marco pushed his glasses further up his nose. “Get your act together, then we’ll talk again. But your grades have to improve.”

“Fine.” Ace rose. “We’re done here then?”

“I think so. Are you going to quit working at the strip club?”

“Let’s first see how much money we’re talking, old man. Besides, if my grades improve, you couldn’t care less if I worked there, could you? You didn’t seem to mind yesterday, at least.”

Marco cleared his throat and evaded eye contact. “As long as your grades improve, it’s none of my business what you do. But as long as you work there, I don’t see that happening.”

“You really want me to quit, don’t you?” Ace cocked his head to the side. “You trying to save me? You got some kind of hero complex?”

Marco straightened in his chair. “I’m only concerned about your grades. I’m trying to help you.”

“Oh really?” Suddenly, Ace had stepped around the desk and was very close, about the same distance he had been the previous night. “You want me to be grateful? Show my ‘gratitude’ in some special way?”

Marco’s eyebrow twitched dangerously, and he breathed heavily. “Get out of my office, brat,” he managed to hiss.

Much to his relief, Ace backed off and slammed the door of his office shut when he left. Marco leaned with his elbows on his desk and rubbed his temples. Why did he get the feeling that this wasn’t the last he would see of this student?


	8. Visiting Hour

A month had gone by in which Marco hadn’t seen Ace back again. He had made no effort to contact him either, as he didn’t want to give Ace any reason to suspect that he was a stalker of any kind.

However, that didn’t mean he hadn’t been thinking about him or had thought that every mop of black hair strolling in the hall might be him. Ace had proven himself to be incredibly irritating with his attitude, but unfortunately, Marco’s brain kept reminding him of his birthday and how amazing he looked in leather shorts or less. He also knew Ace _could_ be pleasant company if he choose to be, since he and Marco had talked while Marco had been walking Stefan.

Ace was a paradox, Marco decided. On the one hand, there was this sexy stripper side of him that was also pleasant company and on the other, there was this annoying brat that thought he knew it all. A certain part of Marco had already decided it liked Ace – Marco had had a few moments of weakness – but in the end, it didn’t matter. Whether or not Ace was nice or hot, he was still a student and it would be unethical for him as counsellor to go after him. Not to mention it could cost him his job.

So, Marco had let Ace’s case rest for a while, to give Ace’s brother the time to make his application for the grant in order and bureaucracy to do its job, or at least start up. He had other matters to worry about anyway. There was a university full of students and many of them could use his help. He preferred to deal with them anyway, as they were polite and actually grateful if he made a difference. Without insinuating he was doing it for a rather unethical reward.

Still, the whole point of getting Ace’s brother that scholarship was for Ace to work less hours and since there hadn’t been any exams in the meantime, he couldn’t check if his grades had gone up by reviewing them. He had sent an email to Ace a while back, but – not so surprising – he hadn’t received a response. Of course, he could just look up Ace’s phone number or address, as he could access most of the information students had provided the university with, but that all felt a little too stalker-y. He was trying to convince Ace that he wasn’t one after all. However, he hoped that after a month of them not bumping into each other, Ace would have abandoned that idea.

It only left him with one option, however. After all, Marco knew where Ace worked, which Ace knew that he knew. At first, he was a bit wary of the idea of visiting a student who did such provoking work – especially after he practically drooled on said student before he found out that Ace went to his university – but since the other ideas he had weren’t an option, he saw no way out. He told himself over and over that he only went there for Ace, and after having spoken to him, he would leave, no lingering or watching him on stage.

Marco was glad he had never told Thatch or Izo about his situation, they would either make fun of him or try to fix him up with Ace or something, neither being things he looked forward to. Well, dating sounded appealing, but there were complications, one of which was the fact that Marco was a counsellor and Ace a student, and another that, despite the fact that Ace worked in a male strip club with mostly male spectators, it didn’t mean he was gay or bi. Not to mention the fact that Ace had accused Marco of being a stalker.

Still, it was his duty as counsellor to make sure the students who came to him for help – voluntarily or not – got back on their feet. And that was all Ace was, another student that needed his help.

* * *

“I thought you weren’t allowed in anymore,” Ace said sighing as he lowered his ass onto the costumer’s lap, but never touching it.

“You would be amazed how many people don’t look at your face if you flash them your badge,” Smoker said with a smirk. “Especially your new bouncers.” His hands reached up to Ace’s thighs, only to be slapped away.

“That sounds like abusing your power to me. Honestly, I’m this close to getting an actual restraining order on you.”

“You won’t do it, or you would have done it a long time ago.”

Ace rolled his eyes. Smoker was right, though, he wouldn’t actually do it. Even if it would make his life a little easier, there was a good chance of his brothers finding out, and how would he explain that?

“Besides, didn’t you say you like me following you around?” Smoker tried again to place his hands on Ace’s hips, once more unsuccessful.

“I said I _preferred_ you over that new guy.” Ace knew he shouldn’t have said anything to Smoker, but Smoker had been around a month ago after he left Mr Fenwick’s office, and Ace had been so upset he just blurted it out. The only reason he preferred Smoker to him, however, was that he knew how Smoker operated. He didn’t harm a fly, he was only annoying. With Marco, Ace wasn’t so sure. Marco had access to his grades and personal information, so it could be anything from jacking off to the picture Ace had sent the university to standing outside his house at night with night vision goggles.

The worst part was that he hadn’t seen Marco since their little meeting. He hadn’t come to the club or waited outside for him like Smoker did. Which made him all the more dangerous, because Ace didn’t know what he wanted or how obsessed he was. And not seeing him terrified Ace the most.

“My offer still stands. I can pull him over and give him a few reasons to leave you alone,” Smoker said shrugging.

“I told you, don’t.” Who knew what would set Marco off? Maybe he should reconsider getting a restraining order.

“Didn’t you say he was blond and with hair that looked a little like a pineapple?” Smoker’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Ace looked up from his dancing, a frown on his face. “I did. Why?”

“’Cause he just entered the club.”


	9. Shot in the Dark

Ill at ease, Marco looked around the room, looking for the familiar freckled face. He felt rather awkward, walking into a strip club as some perverted costumer – and no, he didn’t need to be reminded he had enjoyed himself the last time he had been here, more than he had expected anyway. Thatch and Izo should have never dragged him down here in the first place, but he supposed it was expected from them, especially since Izo loved to meddle in his business, and Marco wasn’t seeing anyone. Still, many of his problems would be solved if that night had never happened. At least he wouldn’t have been labelled as a stalker by one of his students, and Ace might have actually accepted his help.

However, the night had happened, so here he was once again surrounded by half naked men serving other, more dressed but horny, men and women. He didn’t see Ace, though, as he scanned the room, so he decided to head to the bar and maybe ask. He hadn’t taken a step when suddenly a man came running towards him, while a young male voice yelled after him: “Where are you going?”

Marco assumed the man was about to storm out and stepped out of his way not to be caught in the middle, but the man adjusted his course and headed straight for Marco.

Looking around confused if there was anyone behind him that the man – who, at second glance, looked somewhat familiar – might be aiming for, but there was little doubt once he grabbed Marco’s shirt and lifted him a little in the air. “You listen, punk, you stay away from him! He’s mine!” the man yelled.

Managing to keep his face unfazed, Marco took off his glasses and wiped the drops of spit of that had landed on the glasses when the man was talking. “I don’t know who you are or what you’re talking about, but please let go of my shirt.”

“You may not know who I am, but I know everything about you! You pretend to be all concerned, the good guy, making me look bad. But you know what, it’s not working. He prefers me and you better leave him the fuck alone!” The man shook Marco by his shirt.

Fed up, Marco tried to pry his fingers loose. “Look, just leave–”

“No, you leave! He’s mine and he’ll never be yours!”

Behind the hostile man and the crowd that had gathered around them, Marco suddenly saw a glimpse of a freckled face, and suddenly, everything clicked. “You’re his stalker.”

“Don’t pretend like you’re better than me. You’re worse! Now, leave him be or you’ll have to deal with me!”

“I am not going anywhere until I know he is okay,” Marco said firmly.

He could see the other man’s eye – “Smokey” if he remembered correctly – twitching and only managed to duck just in time when the fist came his way. A crackling sound could be heard when his hand went through the wall behind Marco. Marco only had a second to stare wide-eyed at the large dent before he could feel something pressed against his head. Slowly, he raised his hands, taking deep calming breaths. “You’re gonna shoot me in front of all these witnesses?”

Smokey’s eyes flicked at the gun for a moment and then back to Marco. “Maybe. If you don’t pay heed to my warning.”

“Put the gun down, Smoker,” a deep voice suddenly said.

The crowd yielded to let someone pass, and Marco sighed in relief when he recognised Benn approaching. Smokey – or Smoker, rather – sharply jerked his head to the side. “He asked for it!”

“He is unarmed and surrendering! Drop your gun!”

Instead of listening, Smoker turned towards Benn, aiming his pistol on him the time. Shocked gasps could be heard from the crowd. Slowly, Benn raised his arms as well, to indicate he was unarmed.

“Someone call the cops!” someone yelled, and frantically, Smoker waived his gun around, aiming at random people.

“I have the situation under control!” he snarled, obviously not realising _he_ was the problem.

Benn’s eyes flicked over to Marco, and Marco nodded almost invisible. Benn took a step forward, focusing Smoker’s attention back on him again. “Why don’t you put the gun down and we’ll talk this out,” Benn said in a soothing voice.

“There is nothing to talk about! He’s mine!”

While Benn distracted the man with the gun, Marco slowly crept closer until he was only a few feet away. Then, he launched himself on Smoker, tackling him to the floor, the gun sliding out of his reach. Benn hurried himself next to Marco to help to restrain the struggling Smoker.

Sirens sounded in the distance, so apparently, someone had called the police. Benn motioned two bouncers over to take over from Marco and him holding Smoker down and he led Marco to the bar where he poured them both a whiskey. “What was that about?”

Marco shook his head. “I’m not entirely sure. Why are you here, by the way?”

Benn smirked. “I work here. When Shanks took over, he made me head of security.”

“That explains your interference.”

“Marco.”

Marco sighed as Benn gave him a no-nonsense look. “I came here looking for a student of mine. I know he works here, and he came to me for tips for financial aid. After I gave him a brochure for a scholarship for his roommate, I haven’t heard from him, so I decided to check up on him. His name is Ace, does he work tonight? I think I saw him–”

“You know the employees don’t use their real names here, and I can’t reveal them to you,” Benn said, shaking his head. “That still doesn’t explain why Smoker went off on you like that.” He watched Smoker being handcuffed by his colleagues.

Marco sighed. “Ace has gotten it in his head that I’m stalking him. I’m not!” he defended himself when Benn shot him a questioning look. “I just saw him here a while ago and bumped into him on the street where I offered to walk him home because that guy,” he nodded towards Smoker who was being led away, followed by a string of curses, “was bothering him. Ace took that the wrong way. And like I said, I work at his university and we happened to have an appointment right after that. I just wanted to make sure he was okay and had cut back on his hours so he could sleep and study more, that’s all.”

Benn tapped with his fingers on the bar they were sitting at. “I can tell you that one of the employees has cut back on his hours.” He gave Marco a piercing look, and Marco nodded.

“That’s all I needed to know. If he asks, tell him I won’t bother him again.”

“He might want to thank you this time,” Benn remarked as he rose when two officers approached them for their statement, “since you ridded him of this stalker.”


	10. Inside Job

“Did you hear what happened at that strip club?”

Ace almost spit out his drink when Sabo made that remark. “H-how would I know?” He cursed the stutter in his voice.

Sabo lowered the paper and looked at him suspiciously. Then he shrugged. “Maybe you read the paper. Anyway, apparently some cop lost it and pulled his gun out on civilians in a male strip club. Some brave guy tackled him and together with one of the bouncers rendered him harmless. The cop’s being transferred.”

Ace wanted to correct him that a) it wasn’t just a bouncer, but the head of security and b) the guy who tackled Smoker wasn’t brave, just stupid. And a stalker. If anything, the experience had taught him that Marco wasn’t someone to mess with. Not everyone would have thrown themselves on an armed cop and the fact that Marco could overpower him made it painfully clear that he might be able to overpower Ace as well and force him to do things he didn’t want to. And frankly, that scared the hell out of him.

He noticed that Sabo was staring at him and quickly put up a mask of indifference. “Crazy things happen.”

“Crazy people happen.” Sabo looked at him suspiciously. “Are you okay?”

“Me? Why do you ask? It’s not like I was present at that strip club.” He laughed nervously. If only Sabo would stop staring at him! Lying was hard enough without someone looking at him like they were on to him.

“I’m gonna do groceries,” he muttered and fled the kitchen as fast as he dared. Fuck, Sabo could _not_ find out where he really worked. He could also not find out that that cop from the strip club was actually Ace’s stalker, who had been rendered harmless by his new stalker.

The whole event had been ridiculous. One moment, he was giving Smoker a lap dance and the next, Smoker had been in Marco’s face and waved his gun at innocent bystanders. Ace had made himself scarce the first opportunity he had. He had been questioned by some police officers who had arrested Smoker, but he had lied and said he was in the bathroom at the time. He didn’t want to be a witness and besides, there were enough people who had seen everything go down. He had been let go, and it had earned him an early night. Not that it had been of any use, because he hadn’t been able to fall asleep, the events of the night replaying in his head. He hadn’t liked it how Benn, the head of security, was all nice to Marco and even offered him a drink. Then again, it wouldn’t be strange for Benn to know Marco, since he was Shanks’ boyfriend, and Shanks had already told Ace he knew Marco.

That made him stop in his tracks. The people Marco knew and was friends with seemed decent enough. Did that mean he was too hard on the guy? Had all their encounters been coincidences after all?

He had barely finished the thought or he bumped into someone. “Ah, sorry, I wasn’t pay–”

He stopped mid-sentence as his mouth fell open. The universe had _got_ to be kidding him. No way this was another coincidence, there was just no way.

In front of him, Marco was standing, a shopping basket hanging from his arm. He looked just as surprised as Ace was, but that wouldn’t fool Ace.

Something snapped in his head. “Will you finally _leave me alone_?! You follow me to the supermarket and ‘accidentally’ bump into me? How pathetic are you! Just do what normal stalkers do and buy night vision goggles! At least then I don’t have to see you,” he yelled.

He was attracting quite some attention, and Marco seemed desperate to calm him down. He had raised his hands in a defensive manner. “Please lower your voice. This just happens to be the supermarket closest to my home.”

Ace was starting to panic. If that were true, it meant Marco lived closer that he would like. On the other hand, he would say the same thing if he was a stalker. “Just stay the fuck away from me!” he hissed. “I swear, next time I see you, I will take out a restraining order!”

Brusquely, he turned around, leaving behind a flabbergasted Marco. Ace tried to focus on his groceries, but he caught himself looking behind him more often than not. He was being silly, he knew that. After the scene he caused, Marco would think again before following him around inside the supermarket.

When he was about to pay, he saw Marco standing in line. Quickly, he hid in an aisle when an idea hit him. If he knew where Marco lived, he could avoid him with more ease. He waited until Marco had left the store before he hastily paid for his groceries.

Outside, he barely saw Marco turning a corner and hastened himself after him. It was after a few minutes that he realised the route Marco was taking looked very familiar. But he wouldn’t…

His eyes widened when he saw Marco enter a building. The building Ace lived in. “No,” he whispered. Marco had gone as far as move into the same building as him?! He didn’t need night vision goggles, he could just listen at the door!

Trembling, he decided to first make sure Marco even lived there. After all, he could only visit a friend or something. He just entered the building when he heard a door closing. Sneaking to the door, he looked through the spyhole. From what he could make out, Marco made his way to the open kitchen. The room he saw, however, was completely furnished and no one else seemed to be present.

So Marco did live here and by the looks of it, for a while. How long had he been stalking Ace before he came to the strip club?! Or before Ace had seen him…

The bag of groceries slipped out of his hand and fell to the floor with a bang. Marco must have heard him, because suddenly, hastened footsteps came closer.

Panic overtook him and Ace ran to the elevator, frantically pushing the button to open the doors. After what seemed to be forever, the doors finally opened and he dove into the elevator, pressing all the buttons in an attempt to throw Marco off in case he could see the numbers.

Marco called after him as the door closed, but he didn’t listen. Once the elevator started moving and he knew he was safe, Ace sank to the floor, trembling.

He lived in the same building as his stalker.


	11. Walking on Eggs

Sabo watched in surprise how Ace slammed the door shut behind him, bolted all the locks and threw his own body against the door as well.

“Are you okay?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ace looked up and only now Sabo noticed how pale he was. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Ace murmured something along the lines of, “Not a ghost,” and dragged himself to the couch. He looked tired.

Sabo rose from his seat at the table and made his was over to him. “What’s the matter? I thought you would go do groceries.”

“I forgot ‘em,” Ace murmured and buried his face in a pillow.

Unfortunately for him, Sabo was not in the mood for taking shit. He pulled the pillow away and asked firmly, “You forgot to do groceries? Then what the hell did you do all this time?”

“I _did_ do groceries! I… just forgot them downstairs.”

Sabo felt the familiar urge to smack his head against the wall, or Ace’s for that matter. “Then go get them! Luffy will be home soon, and I’m not gonna explain to him why dinner isn’t ready!”

“No!” Finally, Ace looked up, but the look on his face made Sabo take a step back. Ace looked truly frightened. “Please don’t make me go!”

Sabo took a seat next to him on the couch. “What’s going on with you? Are you afraid of something? Or someone?” He had seen Ace punch guys twice his size in the nose without a moment of hesitation, so it was hard to imagine him being afraid of someone. Yet Ace was actually shaking.

Ace just shook his head. “Please don’t make me go,” he whispered.

“Fine.” Sabo rose again. “I’ll go get them. You just take some rest, okay? Take a nap or something.” The last thing he needed was one hyperactive brother and one with a mental breakdown.

He left Ace behind in the apartment and pushed the button of the elevator. Ace had said he had forgotten the groceries downstairs, so maybe he had checked their mailbox and forgotten to take the groceries back to the apartment?

Leaving the elevator, he checked at the mailboxes, but there was nothing to be seen. Groaning, Sabo let his head fall against the wall. Why did he have such an airhead of a brother? The hallway was empty as well and after checking on the doorstep and pavement, he didn’t see a bag there either.

Well, if Ace had left the groceries outside, someone probably had taken them. That thought gave Sabo an idea. Maybe one of their neighbours had taken the groceries inside in case someone would pick them up!

Going inside again, Sabo knocked on the first door he passed. He could hear voices coming from inside and soon, footsteps were approaching.

The door was answered by a man wearing a kimono. “May I help you?”

“Hi,” Sabo said quickly, scratching the back of his head. “My name is Sabo, I live upstairs. This might sound like a weird question, but my idiot of a brother forgot his groceries downstairs, and I was wondering if you’d seen them.”

“I don’t live here, but I’ll ask _my_ brother. Marco!” the man called. “There is a young man for you at the door!”

Sabo could hear loud sound like a pan was being dropped, and a moment later, the door was ripped open further, revealing a blond man. His face seemed to drop when he saw Sabo, but it was hard to tell with the bored expression he wore.

“Hello,” Sabo started again. “My name is Sabo and…”

“He wants to know if you’ve seen a bag of groceries,” the man who had opened the door filled in.

Sabo smiled sheepishly. “My brother forgot them. He can be an airhead sometimes.”

The blond man eyed him closely, and Sabo was starting to get uncomfortable when the man said, “Yeah, hold on a sec.”

He disappeared inside and appeared again a few seconds later with a plastic bag filled with groceries. “They were in front of my door. The eggs were all broken, so I had to throw them out,” he added apologetically.

Sabo groaned. “Dammit Ace!” Then he inclined his head a little in a sign of gratitude. “Thanks for saving them. I’ll give my brother a good talking-to.” He turned around to leave, but suddenly, a thought struck him. “You wouldn’t happen to have some eggs I could borrow, would you?” Luffy would be home soon and he did not feel like going to the grocery store again.

“How many do you need?”

He scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. “Ten? My brothers have a big appetite,” he hastily added.

Marco smiled. “Sure, I’ll see how many I have. Please come in.”

The man who had opened the door took a step aside to let Sabo pass. “I’m Izo, by the way,” he said.

Sabo smiled. “Nice to meet you.” Then he looked around. The apartment had the same outline as their own, with a living room connected to an open kitchen, but it was a lot cleaner. Unlike their own apartment, there weren’t dirty laundry, books, and empty containers of food scattered around. Marco did look a little more mature than two students and a Luffy could ever be, though.

His eyes suddenly fell on an envelope with the crest of the university on it. “Are you studying at the university?” Sabo asked, wondering if Marco would be studying still or again.

Marco peered around the fridge door. “Ah, no,” he said when he saw what triggered the question. “I work at the university. I’m a counsellor.

“Oh, then you must be Mr Fenwick!” Sabo exclaimed. “You gave my brother advice on how I could get a scholarship so that he could work less.”

Marco smiled. “Yes, I remember. How is that working out?”

“Great! Well, the extra money is welcome, and at least now Ace can work less. Those hours were really taking its toll on him. But I think he’s happy to spend less time at that place.”

“You approve of where he works?”

For a moment, Sabo’s eyebrows raised slightly, but then he looked at Marco suspiciously. “I don’t see anything wrong with a job as a security guard. Why, what did he tell you?”

“He didn’t tell me anything,” Marco replied.

An awkward silence hung in the air, in which the two were trying to size each other up. Izo looked from one to the other, his eyebrow raised.

It was Marco who broke the silence. “I merely meant the late hours. I’ll get your eggs now.”

Sabo shrugged. “It’s not ideal, but our youngest brother can be a handful. So I usually work during the day so Ace can keep an eye on him. Unfortunately, Ace needs to be watched as well, so it’s a good thing you live in the same building as we do!”

A thud could be heard, and Marco let out a curse. It would appear he had hit his head against a shelf in the refrigerator.

“You okay?” Sabo asked worriedly.

“I’m fine.” Marco placed the eggs in a bowl and handed them to Sabo as he rubbed the back of his head. “I only have eight, sorry.”

“Thanks! That’s okay, this whole thing is Ace’s fault anyway.” Sabo made his way to the door. “I’ll make sure he’ll personally bring you a new box and thanks you properly!”


	12. Bare Facts

It had taken a week of nagging from Sabo, but finally, he had worn Ace down to agree in bringing back the eggs Sabo had borrowed from Marco. Of course, Sabo had conveniently mentioned how he got the eggs _after_ dinner, after Ace had gobbled them up – with help of Luffy, of course. But since he hadn’t felt any weird effects afterwards, Ace supposed Marco hadn’t drugged them. Still, he had been reluctant to touch the other food that had been in Marco’s apartment. He had tried throwing it out secretly, but Sabo had busted him and that led to a series of questions Ace didn’t want to answer.

Sabo hadn’t asked why Ace had refused to go downstairs for the groceries, as he wasn’t one to pry, but it was obvious he was worried about Ace. That, however, hadn’t gotten Ace out of returning the eggs they had borrowed – a new box, of course – since Ace refused to tell Sabo what Marco actually was.

The worst part about the whole incident was that Sabo was now convinced Marco was a decent guy and had even befriended one of his brothers. Izo had stopped by a few time and was nice enough, Ace could as much as admit that, but he was still reluctant to make friends. Izo was helping Sabo with a project, because he, as a photographer, had the right equipment. Fortunately, Izo had never brought over Marco.

That still left Ace in the hallway of the ground floor with a box of eggs in his hands. He had agreed to bring by the eggs, but he would do it on his own terms. Sabo had promised Marco the eggs and a proper thank you from Ace, but Ace wasn’t about to go that far. He had written a polite thank you note, even if it pained him. When he was young, how to properly thank someone had been drilled into him by Makino and that wasn’t with a note. There was no helping it, though. He wasn’t about to invite his stalker to increase his stalking by showing up on his doorstep.

He had thought the delivery completely through. He had only signed the note with Sabo’s and Luffy’s name, which should give a hint. On top of that, it was now two o’clock, and Ace knew for a fact that Marco worked normal office hours, usually from nine to five or six. He could just leave the eggs on Marco’s doormat and walk away. He had done what Sabo promised Marco, so Sabo couldn’t yell at him, and Marco had no reason to stop by Ace’s house – which by now, he should know where it was thanks to Sabo and Izo – to demand back his eggs. Which was really the only reason why Ace had agreed to do this delivery in the first place.

Taking a deep breath, he walked towards the door of Marco’s apartment and placed the box on the doormat. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed that the door was slightly ajar. The doormat was caught between it, so Marco much have thought he had pulled it shut this morning when he left.

Ace hesitated and bit his lip. This was the perfect opportunity to expose Marco for the stalker he really was. Or to smash any stalker equipment he might own. Ace pushed the door open a bit further and peeked around the doorpost. There was nobody to be seen. Of course, Marco was at work.

Or it could be a trap. Ace froze. But there was no way Marco could have known that Ace would stop by today. So unless he was willing to leave open his door every day, it was highly unlikely that he was lying in waiting. Plus, Marco was supposed to be at work.

Looking around the hallway to see if anyone was watching him, Ace snuck into the house. He closed the door as much as he had found it open and then turned to look around. The living room and kitchen looked completely normal, yet tastefully decorated for a single man living alone. But that wasn’t much of a surprise, since Sabo had been there and no alarm bells had gone off with him.

Still, there had to be some kind of weird altar with photos of Ace, right? Or a monitor attached to a hidden video camera… Ace shuddered at the thought. But it was now or never.

Randomly, he started to open cabinets, but he came up empty handed. Everything was normal as far as he could see. Maybe in the bedroom?

Just as he wanted to make his way over there, a phone started to ring. Ace’s eyes widened. It wasn’t his phone…

Only then, his brain registered something was off. It wasn’t that he heard a sound, rather the opposite. A sound that had been there before in the background wasn’t there anymore…

Ace’s head whipped in the direction of the bathroom, when he heard a lock turning. Marco had been home the whole time?! Or one of his brothers maybe? In any case, Ace shouldn’t be there and he could be arrested for trespassing!

Panicking, he did the first thing that came to his mind, diving behind the couch. He cursed his own foolishness. How could he not have realised that the sound he was hearing was the shower?! But Marco was supposed to be at work. Maybe he took a day off?

Making himself small, he heard footsteps approach and the sound the phone was making stopped. “Hello?” Ace heard Marco say.

Carefully, Ace peeked over the edge of the couch. And then immediately hid again, closing his eyes. Marco was stark naked. His towel was casually draped over his shoulder, and he was still a bit wet.

“I just got out of the shower,” Marco told the person on the other line. Like Ace didn’t know that!

Ace dared another peek. Marco had turned slightly, and now his front was fully visible. Ace had known that Marco was lean, but he had no idea that those dress shirts hid a six-pack! Marco’s cock, while flaccid, was still rather impressive.

It wasn’t fair. Ace had known he was bisexual since puberty, but he had sworn off men after he had started working in the strip club. Men were, after all, all perverts. That didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate a nice looking male body. Marco looked like he could be a stripper himself!

Marco turned his head as if he had heard Ace’s thoughts, and hastily, he dove back behind the couch. He could not get a crush on his stalker! So Marco worked out, he could do that while looking through binoculars, right?

There was one thing that intrigued Ace, and that was the large blue tattoo that Marco had across his chest. It looked like a cross with a crescent shape through it, pointing up. He wondered what it meant. Was Marco in some kind of cult? Or was it a sign for a stalkers’ club?

“Yeah, just let me put on some pants. I’ll be there in half an hour.” Marco hang up the phone and using the towel to rub his hair dry, he retreated to the bedroom.

Ace sighed in relief when he heard the door close – Marco had some modesty after all – and jumped over the edge of the couch, getting out of the apartment as quickly as he could. He left the door as it was, almost trampling the eggs that were still on the doormat.

His face bright red, he dove into the elevator and tried to catch his breath as the door closed. Okay, so he had a stalker with a hot body and who had a knack for hiding his true identity. For some reason, Ace knew that the answer of unmasking Marco would lie in the meaning of that tattoo.

Now he could only hope that he wouldn’t start fantasising about his stalker.


	13. Dirty Little Secret

Izo was many things, but not a fool.

After meeting Sabo at Marco’s place, they had gotten to talk, and Sabo had asked Izo for help in a project he was working on. Izo was a fashion photographer, and Sabo had asked if he could use his equipment and expertise.

The first time Izo came over at Sabo’s place, he was surprised to see a certain freckled stripper – introduced by Sabo as Ace – sitting at the kitchen table. Of course, he recognised him, anyone who could make Marco drool like that was worth remembering. Snickering to himself, he wondered if Marco knew this Ace was living in the same building.

When Ace looked up, it was obvious he remembered Izo as well. Izo had paid for Marco’s lap dance, after all. Yet, if Ace’s wide, shocked looking eyes were anything to go by, it was obvious that Sabo had no idea what he did for a living, and that Ace would prefer to keep it that way. So, to reassure him that his secret was safe with Izo, Izo had introduced himself and tried not to show any recognition. Ace visibly relaxed when he noticed that and politely started a conversation.

However, despite his appearance, it was clear to Izo that Ace felt ill at ease around him. Why that was the case, Izo wasn’t completely sure. Did he perhaps thought that Izo would tell Sabo his secret if Ace didn’t behave? Or would he fear that Izo would tell Marco? And why would that be a problem?

Izo knew he needed to get to the bottom of this, but he was never alone with Ace to ask him about it. Every time it was just the two of them, Ace’s other roommate, Luffy, would interfere, or Ace would come up with an excuse to go. He even fell asleep one time, but later, Izo heard from Sabo that that was because Ace had narcolepsy, so he probably didn’t fake it.

In all, Ace obviously didn’t trust Izo, and it was starting to annoy him. It would, after all, be great if Izo could set Marco and Ace up on a date, and it would be better if his future brother-in-law trusted him at least a little. Otherwise, the setting up part would be unnecessarily hard.

Determined to make Ace like him, Izo stopped by the apartment. He was a little early for his appointment with Sabo, but he hoped to use the extra time to talk things out with Ace and reassure him that Izo wasn’t about to disclose Ace’s secret job to Sabo if Ace didn’t want him to.

Luffy opened up the door, and Izo had learned from previous visits that an encounter with the hyperactive and ever-hungry boy could be cut short by bringing food. Izo handed Luffy the bag of home-made muffins, effectively distracting him.

Inside the apartment, he found Ace behind his laptop. Ace looked up startled and hastily turned over the paper that was lying next to him. “Oh, hi Izo,” he said, trying to sound casually. “Sabo’s not here yet, but if you like I can give him a call–”

“Sit down,” Izo said sharply when Ace attempted to stand up. “I came early on purpose because I wanted to talk to you.”

Ace shrugged, but obediently sat down again. “We don’t have anything to talk about.”

“Yes, we do.” Izo cast a glance over his shoulder, but Luffy was still eating and looking distracted. “You don’t trust me.”

Ace looked at the floor. “Why should I?”

“Why shouldn’t you?” Izo flung back. “I haven’t told Sabo, so why would I in the future?”

Ace remained silent.

Izo sighed. “I won’t tell him. It’s none of my business where you work or whether you choose to tell your brothers.” He could see some relief on Ace’s face, so he might actually have gotten through to him. “I’ll let you get back to your homework then.”

Ace muttered a “Yeah, thanks”, but when he moved his elbow, the paper that was lying next to the laptop slid off the table onto the floor. Ace dove down to get it, but merely managed to hit his chin against the table. Izo crouched down and picked up the piece of paper. Frowning, he looked at what was drawn on it. It was a drawing of a cross with a crescent shape through it, pointing up. Even badly drawn, it was easy to recognise. “Where did you see this?” Izo asked.

Ace sat completely frozen, his hand pressed against his painful chin. “I dunno, I saw it on some building,” he muttered.

Obviously, that was a lie. Because Izo knew for a fact that the only place Ace could have seen the Whitebeard coat of arms was inside Pops’ house or on the body of one of his sons. The first seemed unlikely or Izo would have heard something about it. The most likely person on whom Ace could have seen it was…

A smirk appeared on his face. Maybe he didn’t have to meddle after all. That sneaky bastard! Honestly, if Marco thought he could have sex with a hot stripper and not tell Izo about it, well, then he didn’t know Izo too well.

Ace gave him a weird look – probably because Izo’s face had changed from a shit-eating grin to a frown in less than two seconds – and coughed embarrassedly. “Do you… know what it means?” he asked carefully. “I thought it might be some cult, but I can’t find anything about it–”

“Cult?!” Izo wasn’t sure if he should be insulted or amused. “Why don’t you just ask?” he added. Really, Marco should be used to explaining his tattoo, he could have told Ace. Unless it was a meaningless one-night stand, but that didn’t sound like Marco at all. So maybe that was Ace’s idea?

“I can’t ask it,” Ace stammered.

_Oh_. So maybe things ended badly and that was why Marco didn’t tell him? His protective brother instinct kicked in immediately. “What did you do to my brother?” he asked Ace sharply.

Ace’s eyes widened and he looked utterly terrified. His mouth opened and closed several times, but no sound came out.

Suddenly, the door of the apartment, and Sabo came in. “Oh, hey Izo,” he greeted him. “You’re early.”

“Yes, but I–” Izo started, but before he could finish his sentence, Ace had slammed his laptop shut and ran with it and the drawing under his arm out of the apartment.


	14. Like a Tattoo

Hurriedly, Ace pressed the button to call the elevator while looking over his shoulder, but it didn’t seem like Izo came after him. Taking a deep breath in relief, Ace leaned against the wall, his laptop pressed against his chest. That had been a close one.

Izo knew the symbol and he knew that Ace it only could have seen on Marco’s body. That didn’t eliminate the possibility that it was some sort of cult symbol, though; Izo might know what Marco was up to. There were two problems with that, however. One, if Izo knew Marco was stalking him, wouldn’t he try to stop him or help Ace? Not necessarily of course, Izo could have gotten close to Sabo to keep an eye on Ace as well. Though, he had seemed to sincerely wanted to make an effort to put Ace at ease.

The second problem was that Izo had sounded insulted when Ace had used the word cult. Again, it didn’t mean it wasn’t one, but still.

To be honest, Ace didn’t know what to think anymore. He hadn’t been able to find the symbol on the internet, so maybe going to the library to look through books would be the best option.

The main problem he faced now, however, was that Izo knew Ace had seen the tattoo on Marco’s chest, which probably meant he would ask Marco himself about it. That would raise questions with Marco, of course, as he had no idea Ace had seen his tattoo. Fuck, things were complicated!

The elevator arrived, and Ace had just pressed the button to go down, when he heard his name called. Fortunately, it wasn’t Izo, but Luffy.

“Wait for me!”

Ace pressed on the button to hold the doors and waited until Luffy had joined him.

“Sabo and Izo are gonna talk boringly, and they said they wouldn’t play with me,” Luffy said pouting. “Can I come with you?”

“I’m going to the library, Lu. So you can come, but you’ll have to behave.”

Luffy pouted. “Boo.” Still, he followed Ace outside when the elevator reached the first floor.

While walking towards the entrance, Ace tried not to stare at Marco’s door. He wouldn’t be home, would he? It seemed to Ace that the hallway suddenly was twice as long, but with Luffy with him, he couldn’t start running or something.

“Oooh, Ace, look! That dog has a moustache!” Luffy suddenly exclaimed, and Ace froze.

He knew only one dog who looked like that. Slowly, he turned around.

Behind him, Marco stood, the enormous white dog – Stefan, if Ace recalled correctly – sitting next to him, wagging its tail. Marco looked at Ace as well, looking rather uncomfortable. Probably because Luffy was with him.

“He is so awesome! Can I pet him?” Luffy asked the owner.

Marco’s eyes left Ace, and actually smiling, he said, “Sure.”

“I’m Luffy! Are you going for a walk? Can I come with you? Ace’s so boring,” Luffy babbled on as he started to play around with the dog.

Ace bit his lip not to blurt out that Luffy shouldn’t make friends with Marco. He wasn’t sure how dangerous he was, after all.

“Ace, are you coming too?” Luffy asked, starting him from his thoughts. He had his annoyingly convincing puppy-eyes aimed at Ace, and Ace felt his resistance drain.

“For a bit, but I have stuff to do,” he finally said, careful not to mention he was going to the library. He couldn’t be sure that a ‘no dogs allowed’ sign was enough to keep Marco out after all.

Ace was sure to walk behind Marco and Luffy as they walked the dog. Marco had seemed surprised when Ace agreed, though Ace made it his point not to look at Marco too long and under no circumstance make eye contact. That could be interpreted wrongly.

Marco cast a glance over his shoulder, and primly, Ace turned up his nose. He was a little surprised by the look Marco gave him, though. It wasn’t a lustful glare, rather a bit sad. Tired, even. It made a spark of guilt flare up inside Ace, though he wasn’t sure why. Was he too hard on Marco?

Luffy had pretty good instincts when it came to people, so if he liked Marco, wouldn’t that mean that Marco was an okay guy after all?

Ace shook his head. All the evidence was pointing in the other direction. There was Marco offering to take him home after his stalker had fled, Marco working at the university – though he probably had worked there for a while since Ace couldn’t remember anyone mentioning a new counsellor – Marco doing groceries at the same store – which made sense since that was the supermarket was closest to the building and Ace did his groceries there as well – Marco living in the same building – for which was no evidence he had moved in after Ace…

Okay, so maybe he didn’t have anything substantial against Marco. He had never caught Marco lurking at him or taking pictures of him. And he had only been twice to the strip club…

Ace bit his lip. Had he been too harsh on Marco after all? Had it all been coincidences?

He was so lost in thoughts that he hadn’t noticed that Marco had stopped suddenly and almost bumped into him.

Marco scratched the back of his head. “I have to bring Stefan back to my father, so I have to turn left here,” he said apologetically to Luffy, though he glanced from the corner of his eyes at Ace.

Was he actually making an excuse to leave? Or was he merely not used to Ace walking so close and did he prefer to follow him around?

“Okay, bye, Mister Pineapple-head!” Luffy yelled excitedly.

Ace looked at his brother in shock. Luffy’s nicknames could be rather ridiculous, and he didn’t mean anything by it, but what if Marco took it the wrong way and it set him off? Also, the part of Ace where Makino had drilled manners into wanted desperately to apologise in case Marco found Luffy rude.

“D-don’t mind him,” he managed to bring out, slapping Luffy on the back of the head.

Marco looked actually surprised. “It’s okay,” he said as he scratched the back of his head. “It’s definitely not the worst nickname I have ever had.”

Ace fought back the urge to ask what had been the worst and muttered a goodbye as he pulled Luffy with him.

* * *

Marco watched the two of them leave and sighed. He actually thought he had made progress with Ace. After all, he had agree to walk with him, albeit reluctantly, but of course that could have been the puppy-eyes Luffy had given him. On the other hand, Ace had actually talked to him in an attempt to apologise for Luffy. Seeing him run off like Stefan was chasing him, however, made clear that he still didn’t trust Marco.

Sighing, Marco put one hand in his pocket and started walking towards Pops’ house. He didn’t actually have to take the turn, but Ace’s aura had given off the vibe that he didn’t want to be near Marco at all. So Marco had decided to cut the walk short, as he hadn’t expected Ace to be cool with Luffy being alone with Marco, by pointing in a random direction.

Perhaps he should consider making Ace’s life easier by minimalizing the chance of them running into each other.

His phone vibrating in his pocket started him from his thoughts, and he pulled out the device.

“When did you have sex with Ace?” Izo immediately demanded when Marco had picked up.

Flabbergasted, Marco’s jaw dropped. “Wha–?”

“You know me better than not to tell me the juicy details! Shame on you, Marco,” Izo continued reprimanding. “And what happened after that you two don’t talk anymore? Was it a one-night stand? It was his idea, wasn’t it? Come on, Marco, you can’t give up like that! You like him, don’t you?”

All Marco could do was blink as Izo rambled on. What the hell was he talking about? Had Ace said they had slept together? Why?

“What are you talking about?” he finally managed to bring out.

“You can’t keep secrets from me, Marco. It was pretty obvious, since your body is the only place he could have seen our family crest.”

That only confused Marco more. “My tattoo? He hasn’t seen that! He has never seen me without a shirt, and I doubt he would want to.”

That effectively shut Izo up for a few seconds. “Wait, what? Then how does he know about the family crest?”

Marco shrugged. “Beats me. How do you know he has seen it, anyway?”

“I caught him googling it. He even asked me if it was some kind of cult symbol. Usually, you explain it to your lovers,” Izo said.

“I told you, he’s not my lover! Never has been, either,” Marco insisted. “I don’t know where he has seen it, honestly. Maybe it shone through my shirt once? I’m usually careful with that,” he mused. The dean wasn’t fond of him already, so he didn’t want to give the man any reason to fire him with some lame excuse like tattoos or his sexual preference.

It stayed silent at the other end of the line for a moment. “So you’re saying you have never slept with him?” Izo asked then.

“Yes.”

“Did you know he lives in your building?”

“Yes.”

“And you don’t know how he has seen your tattoo?”

“No. Though, it could have been one of the others,” Marco brought forward. After all, all their brothers had a similar tattoo on some part of their body.

“I doubt it. Well, I have to go now, Sabo’s back. But I’m gonna get to the bottom of this!” With that, Izo hang up.


	15. Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition

Ace had hardly heard a word his teacher had said during class, his mind drifting to Marco and Izo’s knowledge. Would Izo have told Marco that Ace had seen his tattoo by now?

How had things become so complicated in such a short time?

When the teacher dismissed them, Ace was slow with packing his things. He didn’t feel like going home and running into Marco. Things would only get more complicated then and that was the last thing he needed. He just wanted to be left alone, was that too much to ask?

Apparently, it was. When Ace left the classroom, he froze in the doorway when he recognised the person leaning against the opposite wall. Izo leisurely fanned himself with a beautifully decorated fan.

“Hello, Ace,” he said as he pushed himself off the wall. “You’re just the person I was looking for.”

Ace swallowed. “How did you know I would be here?”

“I hacked Marco’s computer to see your schedule.” When he saw Ace’s eyes widening, Izo rolled his eyes. “No, genius, your class schedule hangs on your fridge. It wasn’t rocket science to find out where you were.”

Ace looked at the floor.

Izo took a step forward. “You seem uncomfortable around me. Why is that?”

“Maybe because you wait for me after my class,” Ace snapped at him and tried to walk away, but Izo grabbed his arm.

“That’s only because you’re evading me. I just want some clarification for something and if you answer my questions satisfactorily, I’ll be on my merry way. What do you say?”

Ace knew Izo long enough to know that even if it sounded like he had a choice, he really hadn’t. Better to get things over with. “What do you wanna know?” he asked, even if he an idea already.

“I only want to know how and when you saw Marco’s tattoo. He denies you two have slept together–”

“That’s because we didn’t!” Ace exclaimed, appalled.

Izo raised an eyebrow, but before he could respond, another voice interrupted him.

“I finally found a coffee machine. Is Ace’s class out yet?” A man with brown hair in pompadour style stopped in front of them and handed Izo a plastic cup. Ace recognised him as the last person who was with Marco on the night of his birthday in the strip club, the one that had to get drunk to enjoy himself.

“I’m Thatch,” the man introduced himself and held out his hand.

Ace took it hesitantly, but Thatch grinned at him reassuringly.

Izo took a sip of the coffee and made a face. “It’s as bad as I remember. Anyway, you haven’t answered my question.”

“Geez, no need to scare the boy,” Thatch said, rolling his eyes. “This isn’t the Spanish Inquisition.”

“I just happen to have seen Marco’s tattoo, happy now?” Ace snapped at Izo. His nerves were wearing thin and he just wanted to be left alone.

“See? He probably passed by Marco’s window when he was changing. Marco does live on the ground floor, you know,” Thatch added cheerfully.

Izo sighed. “Fine. But I’ll keep my eye on you,” he said to Ace.

“Are you kidding me? Does being a stalker run in your family?!” Ace slapped his hand over his mouth when he realised what he had just blurted out. Izo and Thatch looked at him confused.

“Stalker? Who’s stalking you?” Izo frowned, until realisation hit him. “Wait a minute… Do you think that _Marco_ is stalking you?”

Ace looked at the floor, feeling a mixture of guilt and dread. He had no idea how the brothers would respond, if they even knew about Marco’s tendencies. What he hadn’t expected at all, however, was for Thatch to double over in laughter.

“Marco a stalker?” he wheezed. “Can you see him now, in the bushes with binoculars? Pretending to read a newspaper with holes cut into it. What the hell, man?”

Ace was both mortified and defeated. He just wanted to curl up in some corner.

“Why on earth would you think that Marco’s stalking you?” Izo said, his tone reprimanding. “You’re good at your job, but not _that_ good. I’d say you have to be a little more interesting to be stalked.”

Somehow, Izo’s words were like a slap in the face. Ace’s legs gave in, and he slid down against the wall, his arms wrapped around his knees and his face hidden.

Thatch stopped laughing and knelt down next to him. “Are you okay?”

Ace flinched under his touch, and Thatch pulled his hand back. ‘Damn,” he muttered. “Izo, get down here.”

“Are you kidding me? The floor is filthy,” Izo replied.

Thatch must have given him a look, because the next moment, Izo sighed and knelt down next them.

“I had a stalker,” Ace said softly. “He followed me around and waited for me after work or came into the club. He was harmless, though, or at least I thought he was until he threatened to shoot innocent bystanders, Marco included.”

“Marco was shot at? He never tells us anything,” Thatch snorted, but Izo elbowed him in the ribs.

“Focus! Continue, Ace.”

“He was transferred by his work and I haven’t seen him since. But when I met Marco… We ran into each other that night after you visited the club. His dog chased off Smo– my stalker, but when Marco offered to bring me home, I may have jumped to conclusions.” Ace’s voice sounded monotonously. He felt incredibly tired. “But I suddenly saw him everywhere. What was I supposed to think?”

“Listen to me, Ace. Marco has lived in the same apartment for seven years and he has been working at the university for five. How long have you been here?” Izo asked.

“Shorter than that,” he whispered.

“I thought so. I admit, all these coincidences are... Well, awfully coincidental, but some people would call it fate,” Izo added suggestively.

Ace shot him a sceptical look.

“In any case,” Thatch said, “Marco isn’t stalking you, and I’m sure he only feels bad for making you feel like that.”

Izo rose and held out his hand, which Ace accepted. When he was hoisted to his feet, however, he remembered something.

“But wait. If Marco’s tattoo isn’t some kind of stalker-cult symbol, what is it then?”

Thatch and Izo exchanged a look and started to laugh. “It’s our family crest. So a stalker-cult crest, since we’re a family of stalkers,” the former said with a wink.

Ace’s cheeks turned red.

“We all have one.” Izo turned around and showed the tattoo on his shoulder blade. It was much smaller than Marco’s, but the symbol was the same. Thatch lifted up his shirt as well and he also wore the same mark.

Ace felt like hitting his head against the wall. He had been so stupid and jumped to conclusions without allowing Marco a chance to explain himself. Sabo was right to call him an idiot.

How would he even begin to make it up to Marco?

* * *

It was several days later when Ace found himself once again in front of Marco’s door. After Izo and Thatch had let him go after talking to him, Ace had stopped in front of Marco’s apartment on his way home. Hesitantly, he had knocked, to apologise, but Marco hadn’t been home. Nor had he been in the days after, no matter what time Ace tried.

Today he had no more luck than the days before, and he sighed, when he suddenly heard someone approach. Assuming it was Marco, Ace turned around to greet him, but instead he was met by Thatch’s face.

“Hey, Marco isn’t home,” Ace said.

“I know.” Thatch sighed and reached in his pocket to retrieve keys. “I’m here to pick up some of his stuff.”

“Why?” Ace asked confused. “Where is he?”

“He’s staying with me until he finds a new place,” Thatch said.

“Why?”

“’Cause he feels like he is interfering with your studies with his presence. Your accusations really got to him,” Thatch said a little accusingly.

“I never meant for him to move! I’m here to apologise!” Ace exclaimed.

Thatch shrugged. “He’s gotten it into his head that it’s better to stay out of the picture and he’s kinda thick-headed.”

Groaning, Ace let his head fall against the wall next to the door. With his accusations, he hadn’t just made things harder for himself, but also for Marco. He could ask Thatch to take him to Marco, but perhaps it was best to meet on more neutral ground.

He would stop by Marco’s office tomorrow.


	16. Peace Offering

The knock on the door was so faint that Marco was wondering if he was imagining things. He checked his planner, but he didn’t have an appointment for another hour. It could be a teacher or the dean coming in unannounced, though the latter had the habit of not knocking at all.

For a moment, Marco wondered if he should ignore it, but on the other hand, if no one was there, nobody would think he was making a fool out of himself for talking to nobody.

“Yes?” he called.

The door handle was pressed down, proving that Marco wasn’t crazy and someone had indeed knocked, but once the door was open, Marco started to doubt his sanity again. Because surely the person in the doorway wouldn’t come to his office out of his own free will? Not after he so thoroughly made clear he didn’t want anything to do with Marco.

Yet, here Ace was, in all his glory. Well, perhaps not in _all_ his glory, when he was wearing his strippers-outfit he looked more appealing than in the baggy shorts and large sweater he was wearing now, but it was unmistakably the same person.

“Can I come in?” Ace asked hesitantly.

Marco realised he had been staring. He was surprised to see Ace, sure, but that didn’t mean he was welcoming him warmly. After all, Ace was the reason he was currently homeless. “I don’t have a walk-in hour right now. You can make an appointment via email or by phone,” he said coolly.

“Please, I really need to talk to you,” Ace pleaded. “Not about my studies, but…” He nervously bit his lip, and, in the privacy of his own mind, Marco had to admit he looked quite endearing.

Still, he wasn’t sure what to do. His pride demanded that he sent Ace away, but Ace was obviously troubled. Perhaps Marco should hear him out. Giving in, he gestured towards the chair in front of his desk, and Ace took a seat, fidgeting with the fabric of his shorts.

“You’re probably wondering why I’m here,” Ace stared, his voice soft. He looked up, his eyes questioning and insecure.

Marco sighed. It was really hard to stay annoyed with someone who looked like a kicked puppy. “Why are you here?”

“I came to apologise.”

Marco raised an eyebrow. “How come?”

Ace stared at his toes, chewing his lip. “I… I realised I may have jumped to conclusions as to your intentions. I never meant to chase you out of your own house, honestly!” At the last words, he looked up. Then, he took a deep breath. “I’m just gonna ask you this once, directly. And whatever you say, I’ll believe you. Have you ever, or are you currently, or do you have plans in the future, to stalk me?”

“No.” Marco’s voice was emotionless, but he hoped the message got through. He kept looking Ace straight in the eye, never wavering, never hesitating.

Ace took a deep breath. “Alright.” He rose from his chair, and, for a moment, Marco thought he was going to leave, when Ace suddenly bowed down. “I am deeply sorry for falsely accusing you and for any inconvenience I may have caused.”

Marco was speechless. Was this the same kid as who came into his office a few weeks ago acting all haughty? This Ace resembled more the Ace he had met in the strip club, only lacking the confidence.

When Ace didn’t move and remained in the bowing position, Marco realised he was waiting for him to say something. “You can get up now. I accept your apology.”

Ace straightened, relief written all over his face. “Will you come back to your home as well?” he pleaded. “Please, I don’t want to have that on my conscience.”

“It would certainly be easier than finding a new place,” Marco mused.

Ace’s face brightened. “Thank you!” He started to rummage through his backpack, which he had placed on the floor when he had sat down. “I know I can’t even begin to make this up to you, and it’s not much, but please take this.” He handed Marco a piece of paper.

Surprised, Marco read what was written on it, and his eyes widened. “I… I can’t take this!”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m your counsellor and this is a coupon for a free lap dance at your strip club!” Marco exclaimed.

Ace shrugged. “You enjoyed yourself last time. Not that I’m saying you should use it on me,” he hastily added. “You can ask anyone there. I’m sure there is someone to your liking… Please take it,” he pleaded. “I don’t have money – or we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place – and it’s all I can offer. Oh, it expires in two days, so you’ll have to come tonight or tomorrow. I work both evenings. Not that I’m implying anything…!” He sighed and bowed again. “Please come. I really want to make it up to you. It includes a free drink.”

Marco sighed and looked back to the piece of paper. A perverted and slightly sadistic part of his brain actually found the offer appealing. He could have Ace back in his lap, the old Ace, the one with the cheeky grin and sexy movements. Fortunately, he still had morals left and another part of his brain scolded him for thinking like that about a student. Still, it seemed to be important for Ace that he accepted it. He wouldn’t use the coupon on Ace, of course, but a free drink was always a bonus, right?

He smiled. “Sure. I’ll come.”


	17. Sinfully Talented

Dimmed light and music welcomed him into the strip club, which had a certain familiarity to it. Marco clutched at the coupon in his hands, wondering how much of an idiot he was. Accepting a coupon for a strip club from one of his students! While the gift in itself was of questionable morality, he could easily be accused of taking a bribe.

Calming his paranoid thoughts, he reminded himself he hadn’t changed Ace’s grades or anything. Yet, not for a second had he questioned Ace’s motives, until now. Ace had seemed sincere in his desire to apologise, but what if he just was a great actor? What if the dean was waiting for Marco here and this had all been a plan to get him fired? It would be perfect, not only would Marco have moved away, Ace wouldn’t have the risk of bumping into him at the university. Marco cursed under his breath. Why was he so trusting?

Yet, when his eye fell on Ace, dangling from the stripper pole, his paranoia vanished into thin air. Ace let himself land on the floor, twisting around and gliding downwards, his back against the pole and his eyes closed. A soft smile was lying on his lips. He hardly looked like an evil genius. And a quick glance around proved that the dean wasn’t there; not in plain sight, anyway.

Marco decided he could always claim he had no idea that Ace worked here, or that he was a student, for that matter. That had been the case the first time they met, after all.

He looked at the coupon in his hand before his eyes flicked to Ace once more. Would it really be such a bad idea to ask Ace for a lap dance? He had offered it indirectly, after all. At least that it would be okay. Watching him twirl around that pole reminded Marco of the first time he had seen Ace, and how amazing he had been in driving Marco mad. How he had danced sensually, just for him. Marco licked his lips subconsciously.

When the hell had he turned into such a pervert?! He was several years older than Ace, not to mention his _counsellor_. Ace was a student in his care and he was thinking of getting a lap dance from him? Something was very wrong with him.

The coupon came with a free drink. Perhaps he should start with that.

“Marco!”

He froze. Was it too late to run out of here and never look back?

Sighing deeply, Marco turned around to the direction the voice had sounded from. The smirk that was lying on Shanks’s face made him want the earth to swallow him up.

“Look at that. Couldn’t stay away, could you, you old pervert?” Shanks said with a grin.

“You’re judging _me_?” Marco replied coolly.

Shanks laughed again. “I wouldn’t dare to. I just hadn’t expected to see you here tonight. What you’ve got there?”

Before Marco could hide the coupon, Shanks had snatched from his hand. “Ooh, a free lap dance. Last day it’s valid. Did you have anyone in mind you wanted to use it on?”

Marco knew he made a mistake, he _knew_ it, when his eyes flicked over to Ace who was still dancing on the stage. He prayed that Shanks hadn’t seen it, but of course _he_ would never miss something like that. His grin, if possible, grew even wider.

“I see. Well, as an old friend, you do deserve to get your lap dance from the best.”

“Ace is your best?” Marco asked. It wouldn’t surprise him, really, seeing what Ace had done to him last time.

Shanks smirked. “Nope.”

Before Marco could response, he was pushed into a chair with Shanks standing before him. As if on cue, a new song started, slow and sensual. Shanks ripped open his shirt with his one hand, revealing his abs. His hips swayed slowly in time with the music. He turned around, lowering himself into a crouching position, before straightening again, pressing his hips backward.

Shanks twirled around again, facing Marco, and stepped a little closer to him. Automatically, Marco spread his legs some more, so that Shanks could stand between them.

As Shanks danced in front of him, Marco glanced around. Visitors as well as strippers had stopped what they were doing and all had their eyes aimed at Shanks. He was, after all, a legend in this strip club. After the accident in which he had lost his arm, Shanks hadn’t danced anymore, as far as Marco knew, but he certainly hadn’t lost his touch.

Sensually, Shanks rolled his hips, his hand roaming his abs downward in the direction of his crotch. Mere inches above it, he changed course down his upper leg. His eyes closed, he turned around again, showing off his ass.

Marco had to admit, even if he wasn’t attracted to Shanks, watching him dance like that, completely in touch with his body and certain in his movements, it was kinda arousing. When Shanks lowered himself again, opening his legs in a suggestive manner, Marco knew Ace had learned his movements from the best.

Shanks walked around him, stroking Marco’s chest with his hand. When he was standing next to him, Shanks lowered himself into Marco’s lap as the music died down. He was still smirking, slightly out of breath.

A thunderous applause sounded. Shanks rose and made a curtsey towards his audience. Marco was clapping as well. Shanks had earned it.

As the other strippers slowly went back to work, Shanks leaned in and whispered into Marco’s ear, “You know, jealousy is a strong emotion.”

“All this to make Benn jealous?” Marco asked and his eyes flicked towards the door where Benn was standing. “You’ve succeeded, then. He looks like he wants to crush my skull like a grape.”

Shanks laughed loudly. “I wasn’t talking about him, though his jealousy is certainly a bonus. Enjoy your free drink.” He gestured to the bartender and pointed at Marco, before he walked towards Benn and, taking him by the hand, took him to his office.

Still confused and slightly dazed, Marco stared into space, wondering what Shanks could have meant. He looked at the stage where Ace was still standing. He smiled when he saw Marco looking, but then continued his twirling around the pole.

“What can I get you, sir?” a cheery voice sounded next to him.

Marco turned and saw a boy from barely eighteen standing next to him. His thick-rimmed glasses, which were standing on his pink hair, slid down when he moved his head too fast. Still smiling, he put them back on his head.

Marco looked back at the stage, his eyes roaming longingly over Ace’s scarcely dressed body. Marco was _so_ going to hell.

Turning to the boy next to him, he said with a sigh: “Give me the strongest you’ve got.”


	18. Tea for the Soul

While Marco would never admit it out loud, last night, Shanks had probably saved his life. Or at least his immortal soul, if that was still possible. If Shanks hadn’t intervened and taken the coupon off his hands, Marco was certain he would have used it on Ace, consequences be damned.

Now, however, without the temptation of a free lap dance – because paying for one, while certainly possible, was a whole other line he wasn’t willing to cross, because, apparently, he did have some morals left – Marco had drunk his drink. It didn’t effect him much, thanks to his high tolerance for alcohol, so he didn’t worry much about doing something stupid. Well, more stupid than accepting an invitation from one of his students to go to a strip club.

As he was drinking, Marco had received a phone call from his father, asking if he could walk Stefan tonight, as Pops wasn’t feeling up to it. Relieved, Marco had taken the opportunity with both hands. Downing his drink in one, he had all but fled the strip club, waving quickly at Ace, who was currently giving some old pervert a lap dance – and, _no_ , he wasn’t jealous. And Marco wasn’t _that_ old, even if he feared he could be included into the category of pervert.

Fresh air and some exercise had cleared Marco’s brain. What the hell had he been thinking, accepting Ace’s invitation? Now more than ever he realised he was infatuated with Ace, and, even though he knew Ace could be pleasant company if he wanted to be, Marco was pretty sure his attraction was superficial. He had drooled over Ace’s body since the day he met him. So it would be easy enough to forget about him and move on with his life.

Or so he thought.

The small detail of Ace living in the same building as he had somehow slipped his mind – perhaps because he had only moved back into his own place this morning. Thatch had been thrilled Marco and Ace had made up, although Marco had been sure not to mention anything about the free lap dance-coupon.

Right now, however, Marco was standing in the doorway of the building, his keys still in hand, and looked at the figure huddled up against the wall of the hallway. Marco considered fleeing, but he had already been spotted as Ace had been looking at the door. His frown disappeared, and he actually _smiled_ at Marco. Marco couldn’t remember him doing that outside the strip club, at least not since the first night they met. A weird fluttering feeling welled up in his stomach, but Marco decided to ignore it.

He wondered what kind of horrible thing he had done in a previous life to deserve such torture – because that was what these ‘innocent’ encounters were to him – before stepping inside. Force of habit made him check his mailbox, looking at Ace from the corner of his eye and wondering why he would be sitting in the hallway like this, instead of being at home. Briefly, a naïve thought arose, thinking that Ace was waiting for him, but, if that had been the case, Ace would already have said anything. Now, it appeared to be just a coincidence he was sitting near Marco’s door – Marco did rent the first apartment when one came in, after all.

Mail in hand, Marco gave Ace a nod when passing him, hoping he could get away with that. Ace nodded back at him, and, relieved, Marco put his key into the lock of his apartment.

Ace heaved a deep sigh.

Cursing his caring nature under his breath, Marco sighed himself, before turning around. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Ace scrambled to his feet. “Did you enjoy yourself last night? I’ve never seen Shanks dance for anyone, so you two must be good friends!”

“I wouldn’t say that, per se,” Marco said slowly. “We just… go way back.”

Ace smiled again. “Well, anyway, as long as you had a good time. You left so quickly, though…”

“Pops called me to walk Stefan,” Marco said truthfully.

The dejected look on Ace’s face disappeared, much to Marco’s relief. “I’m glad it wasn’t because of anything I did, or Shanks, for that matter. I know the coupon was kind of inappropriate, but I’m glad you accepted. Of course, it doesn’t even begin to make up what I put you through–”

“Ace, I already accepted your apology.”

“That doesn’t mean you’ve forgiven me,” Ace protested.

“Then I forgive you. Everything is back to normal, so you have nothing to feel guilty about, alright?” Marco said.

Ace nodded, albeit reluctantly.

Marco sighed in relief. At least now he wouldn’t have to fear getting more coupons or a house call from Ace, or something. “I’ll see you later then.”

“Okay. Bye.” Ace sank back to his place on the floor.

Marco froze on his way to the door. The dejected tone of Ace’s voice wasn’t lost on him, and, once more, he cursed his own politeness. Turning around again, he asked, “Why are you sitting in the hallway, anyway?”

Ace looked up. “Because I lost my stupid key. Sabo and Lu won’t be home until tonight, and the caretaker isn’t there, either.”

“Would you… like to wait at my place?” Marco asked reluctantly, although the perverted part of his brain was quite eager.

Ace huffed and let his head fall against the wall. “What’s the point? I have an exam tomorrow, and my book’s inside my apartment. They don’t have it at the library either. So I might as well sit here and wait until I fail.”

Marco’s brain helpfully reminded him that he had seen Ace took a few of the same courses as Marco had himself when he was studying when he had first looked up Ace’s grades. “I still have my old study books,” he heard himself say. “What’s the one you need called?”

Ace opened his mouth to say something, only to close it again. “I don’t remember,” he said, sounding even more miserable than before.

“Well, if you want, you’re welcome to look through them to see if the one about the subject you need is in there,” Marco said with a shrug.

Ace jumped to his feet. “Really? Oh my God, you’re a life saver!”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Marco warned him as he let the all but skipping Ace into his apartment. “I can’t give any guarantees.”

Ace didn’t seem to listen and looked around. “It still looks the same,” he muttered, but Marco caught his words.

“The same as when?” he asked as he sorted through the mail.

“Eh? Nothing! So you had study books?” Ace hastily asked, and Marco decided to let it rest.

“Yeah, just a sec. Make yourself at home,” he added in an afterthought, and ignored the small voice inside his head that said, ‘ _As comfortable as possible…_ ’

Marco went to his bedroom and, after a short search, found the books he was looking for. Piling them up, he took them back to the living room, where Ace was currently looking at a photograph of Marco’s brothers.

“You really have a big family,” he said, amazed.

Marco smiled fondly. “Yeah. Here’re the books.” He spread them out on the coffee table.

Ace turned and studied the titles, until he made an excited noise. “This one! That’s the one I need. It’s an earlier print, but still!”

Marco smiled. “There you go, then.”

“You’re amazing! Thank you so much!” Ace bowed to him, the book clenched to his chest. “You’ve already done so much for me, while I…” His voice trailed off, and he straightened, a frown on his face. “Why are you so nice to me, anyway? All I’ve done is be a dick to you and accuse you of being a stalker.”

“Maybe I’m a nice person,” Marco said. “Or maybe,” a smirk appeared on his face, “I finally have you where I want you.”

Ace looked at him confused.

“Don’t act so surprised. At some point, photographs and a lock of your hair just aren’t cutting it anymore. Eventually, all stalkers snap,” Marco continued, still smirking.

He saw Ace’s eyes widen for a second, before he pulled an unamused face. “Very funny.” He punched Marco playfully against the shoulder, but then sighed. “But I guess I deserved that.”

“You sure did.” Marco chuckled, but then his face got serious again. “Now, go study, I’m still your counsellor, and we agreed that you’d get higher grades.”

Ace saluted. “Aye aye, sir.”

Marco looked amused as he let himself flop on the couch as if he owned the place and opened the book.

Marco walked to the kitchen to put on water for tea and caught himself looking fondly at Ace. He should really be careful about doing that. He had just decided that his attraction was superficial, dammit! Only his sense of duty had called him to convince Ace to come inside, or so he tried to tell himself.

The warm smile he received when he placed tea in front of Ace, however, made it hard to ignore the fluttering feeling.


	19. King of Roller Disco

Ace glanced up from his book every once in a while to look at Marco, who was sitting at the table behind a laptop. When Marco’s eyes flicked up to Ace from behind his glasses, Ace hastily looked back down, though he was sure he had been caught several times already. The room was quiet, aside from the tapping on the keyboard by Marco, and some noise drifting in from the outside.

To be honest, Ace had trouble figuring Marco out. Ace had accused him of stalking him, had acted like a dick, had even driven him out of his own house. On top of that, Ace’s ex-stalker had almost taken a shot at him. In all, Marco had little reason to talk to him, let alone invite him into his house! The house Ace had recently broken into, even if Marco didn’t know that. Ace had almost given himself away when he had entered the apartment by commenting it looked the same. It hadn’t looked _exactly_ the same anyway, not without Marco in all his naked glory.

Ace cursed and hid his face behind his study book to conceal his reddened cheeks. He really shouldn’t be thinking about that, not when Marco, albeit dressed, was in the same room.

He sighed and tried to focus on the book again. Not that the subject was so exciting, but it distracted him from images he shouldn’t be having of his counsellor. Seeing him naked had made Ace reconsider swearing off men as romantic and sexual interests. Not that he even considered starting something with Marco, as he was his counsellor after all. Ace wondered what Marco had thought when he found out Ace was a student who had given him a lap dance. To be fair, Ace hadn’t known Marco worked at the university either at the time, much less that he would ever interact with him again.

Marco had been quite composed when Ace had barged into his office the day of their appointment, and although Ace had managed to tick him off – who wouldn’t have been annoyed by him? – now that he knew that Ace was a student, his interest for him seemed to have faded.

Now that Ace got to know him better, Marco seemed like a good guy. He was nice and caring, if letting Ace stay at his house was anything to go by. He had forgiven Ace with ease, too, something that took a bigger man than Ace had been.

It made Ace feel even guiltier. He didn’t think there was much he could do to make it up to Marco, though, except getting better grades, he supposed. So he returned his attention to the book.

About an hour later, Marco closed his laptop and rose. “I’m going to take a shower. Do you need anything?”

Ace eyed his refilled mug of tea and shook his head. “I’m good, thanks.”

“Okay. I’ll be back in a bit.”

While Ace was sure Marco’s announcement had merely been to explain him leaving and was by no means an invitation to think about his naked body some more, Ace couldn’t help his thoughts drifting.

As soon as the bathroom door was closed and Ace heard the shower running, he couldn’t contain his curiosity anymore. Last time he was here, he didn’t have the time to snoop around much and though he wouldn’t be looking for an Ace altar anymore, he was still curious about Marco. He had a large family, as the picture he had seen proved. Not just Thatch and Izo were in there, but a lot more people that looked interesting to Ace. The large man in the background, who had his hand on top of the head of Stefan the dog had to be Marco’s father. Marco looked quite happy too in the photograph, his arms around Izo and the only girl in the picture.

Ace looked around the room some more, but didn’t dare to go into others for fear of Marco coming out of the bathroom unexpectedly.

He was just snooping about in the kitchen when the shower stopped running, and Ace dove back on the couch, bouncing slightly up and down because of the impact. He grabbed his book again and peeked around when he heard the lock of the bathroom door open. This time, Marco had the decency to put a towel around his waist when he retreated into his bedroom. Ace didn’t catch a glimpse of the family crest.

Marco returned fully clothed, although he looked different than before. His outfit was more casual than the button-up shirt he had been wearing earlier. He was wearing the same jacket as he had been wearing the first time he came to the strip club, although Ace wasn’t sure why he remembered that.

Marco eyed the clock. “Will you be staying for dinner?”

Ace looked up from his book, his eyes wide. “I-I couldn’t impose on your dinner! You’ve already done too much for me! I’ll order a pizza or something.”

“Tell me,” Marco said as he made his way to the kitchen and started getting out ingredients, “where is your wallet?”

Ace stayed silent for a moment, but then muttered, “Inside the apartment.”

“So, I’d be paying for your pizza, correct?”

“I’d pay you back!” Ace was quick to call out.

“Honestly, it would be easier to just cook some more pasta. But it’s your choice. In any case, I wouldn’t mind the company. It’s boring eating by yourself,” Marco said, shrugging.

Ace was too stunned to say anything for a while, but then nodded gratefully. Marco was proving over and over what a great man he was. Ace didn’t think he could ever repay his kindness.

Ace was ushered to continue studying while Marco cooked, but it was harder and harder to concentrate when delicious smells were wafting his way and his stomach was rumbling. Sabo was usually the person to cook as Ace had a tendency to burn everything he touched and Luffy… Well, if it was up to Luffy, they would eat raw meat all the time. They wouldn’t be home until much later though. Usually, Ace enjoyed his time alone to the fullest by doing things he couldn’t do with his brothers around, which really were only two things, walking around naked and take his time while eating.

Marco set the table and, after placing a steaming pan in the middle, he invited Ace to join him. Ace placed his book on the coffee table and walked over to Marco, sniffing at the delicious scent that came from the pan.

Marco took Ace’s plate and dished out the food while Ace took a seat. Marco then served up himself as well. Ace had a hard time controlling himself not to dig in just yet and wait until Marco was finished. He felt some drool tickling down his chin and, hastily, he wiped it away.

As soon as Marco had put down his plate however, he couldn’t control himself any longer and dug in, all but moaning when he took the first bite.

Marco noticed and smiled. “You like it? Thatch gave me a few pointers about herbs. He’s a chef.”

Ace was about to reply, when he remembered he wasn’t Luffy and actually had some manners, so he waited until he finished chewing and had swallowed before he said, “It’s really good.”

Marco smiled genuinely, and Ace realised that, as he had been busy being an ass to Marco, he had never seen him smile like that. It made him smile too.

“Do you like cooking?” Marco inquired as he took a bite himself.

Ace shrugged. “Sabo always cooks if we don’t order in. I’m not allowed to.”

“How come?”

“That’s because I have a tendency,” Ace chose his words carefully, “to burn down the kitchen.”

Marco started to laugh. Ace decided he liked the sound of it as it seemed to fit him better than the tired look he had shot Ace before Ace had come to his senses.

“Is that so?” Marco asked, still chuckling.

“It’s not my fault things spontaneously combust,” Ace protested, earning himself another smile.

“Then what do you like to do?”

Slowly, it started to dawn upon Ace that Marco was making polite conversation in an attempt to reach out. Relieved, because it meant that Marco wanted to leave the past in the past, Ace thought about the question. “I like just hanging out with my brothers, playing videogames and all that. But between studying and working, I don’t have much time for that. I feel bad for Luffy though, he’s easily bored.”

“Did you always have to work this much to pay your tuition?” Marco asked.

Ace realised the conversation came into counsellor territory, so of course Marco would feel obligated to ask him about that – now that they could have a conversation without Ace being an ass. “Nah, I could study for years on my inheritance.”

Marco’s eyebrows rose. “Inheritance?”

“My parents are dead.” Ace shrugged. “I never knew them though, but they left me a fair amount of money. It only came available when I turned eighteen, so I could use it for tuition and stuff. But that’s almost gone now.”

“I’m sorry.”

Ace didn’t want Marco to pity him so he brushed it off, changing the subject. “It’s fine, I turned out okay. Tell me more about your family.”

Marco’s facial expression changed immediately, and fondly, he started to tell about his siblings. Ace had heard some things from Izo, and, seeing how little the people in the picture resembled one another, it wasn’t much of a surprise that all fifteen of them were adopted. It was nice to listen to Marco, seeing him pepped up talking about the people he loved. He was also one of the few people who understood that Ace, Sabo and Luffy were more than just friends, and why they called themselves brothers.

Thanks to Ace’s appetite, the food was gone in no time, and Marco rose to clear the plates. “Do you want dessert?” he asked.

Ace gave him a look as if that was the dumbest question ever, making Marco chuckle again. He went into the kitchen before returning with a thick slice of cake on a plate, which he placed on the table, along with two forks.

Ace knew he had to wait until Marco had come back with his dessert, but the cake looked so tempting, he couldn’t restrain himself. Pulling the cake towards him, he took a bite, when he realised Marco was staring at him from behind the counter. Looking up, Ace saw Marco standing, a knife in his hand. _Oh_. So maybe Marco had intended to slice the piece of cake in half.

Ace guiltily looked down to the slice from which he had taken a sizable bite and then back at Marco, swallowing slowly. “I-I’m sorry,” he stammered.

Instead of getting mad, Marco started to laugh. It started as a chuckle, but soon he had to steady himself on the counter not to double over.

Ace looked on surprised. He had obviously just taken a bite out of a portion Marco had deemed to be enough for the both of them, leaving Marco without dessert, yet he didn’t seem to mind.

Marco finally collected himself, some chuckles still escaping him. “It’s fine, really,” he said, wiping his eyes.

“Living with Lu it’s eat or be eaten,” Ace tried to defend himself. It wasn’t really an excuse, though.

“Really Ace, it’s _fine_. I should have realised you had a large appetite seeing how you devoured the main course. I can make more food if you’re still hungry,” Marco offered.

Ace groaned and let his head fall on the table – though not in the cake, that happened often enough when he had a narcoleptic attack. “Please stop being so nice! I feel bad enough as it is. I can’t do anything right, can I?”

He heard Marco make his way over to him and, peeking, Ace noticed he reached out his hand as if to ruffle Ace’s hair, but he changed his mind midway and pulled back. “Students aren’t exactly known for their healthy eating habits,” Marco said, “whether it is for the lack of time or money. I’ve been a student too, and I’d probably done the same if someone placed a cake in front of me.”

“No, you wouldn’t, because you wouldn’t behave like you’ve been raised in a barn!” Ace rose and bowed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s just cake.”

Ace’s mouth twitched. “It was rude.” Why couldn’t he do anything right? He tried so bad to make it up to Marco, but why was he so stupid? Offering Marco, his _counsellor_ , a coupon for a free lap dance, eating his cake… How could Marco _ever_ forgive him?

“We can still share.”

Ace looked up in surprise as Marco made his way to the kitchen again to pick up the knife and cut the piece of cake in two. He placed one piece on a small plate and handed to other to the still slightly stunned Ace.

“Now, go study some more.” He shooed Ace in the direction of the couch.

“I already know it. At least let me do the dishes,” Ace protested.

Marco thought for a moment. “Fine. But I’m gonna test you.”

So, after they had finished their desserts, Ace started doing the dishes, while Marco, sitting on the counter, fired questions at him from the book. When Marco deemed he knew the material well enough to pass the test, the dishes had already been dried and put away, and they were both sitting on the couch.

They were currently busy with a competition of who could tell the silliest anecdote about a sibling, and while Marco had more siblings than Ace, Ace had stories about Luffy and could hold his own.

“And so, we’re banned from the zoo for life,” Ace concluded. “Your turn.”

“I’ll need a moment to think to see if I can top that one,” Marco said with a smile. “Would you like some coffee or tea?”

“Coffee, please.” Ace leaned back on the couch and grinned to himself. He hadn’t expected Marco to be so much fun. He would love to hang out more often.

Marco returned and placed two piping hot cups of coffee on the coffee table. “Okay I got one. This is the story about how Rakuyo became the king of roller disco…”

* * *

Ace must have had a narcoleptic attack, because he woke up when someone let themselves flop down on top of him. No matter how often that happened living with Luffy and Sabo, it was never a fun way to wake up.

He was still in Marco’s apartment, spread out on the couch, but as expected, it wasn’t Marco currently sitting on top of him and preventing him from breathing properly, but Luffy.

“What are you doing here?” Ace asked hoarsely from the lack of oxygen.

“Picking up you of course,” Luffy said with a grin. “Mister Pineapple-head said that you were here. Are we friends with him now?”

“Weren’t you already?” Ace retorted as he pushed Luffy off him. Still, he couldn’t help but smile, as this meant Marco had waited for Sabo and Luffy to show up. Ace’s eyes darted to Marco, who was in the kitchen talking to Sabo. Marco looked back and smiled.

Ace caught Luffy’s head under his arm and rubbed with his knuckles on his head. “And how was your day?”

“It was great!” As Luffy babbled on about what they had done, Sabo made his way over to him.

“You lost your key _again_?” he scolded Ace. “I swear, half of the money we earn goes into making new ones. A bit longer and the whole town can come into our apartment.”

“It’s not my fault!” Ace pouted. “I just misplace them accidentally.”

Sabo huffed. “Maybe we should give Marco a spare one, seeing how you two made up.” He carefully studied Ace’s face.

Ace slightly turned red. Sabo had caught on more than he had hoped. “Yeah, maybe,” he muttered.

“Let’s go home, then.” Sabo turned to Marco. “Thanks for babysitting him.” He jerked his thumb towards Ace.

Marco smirked. “No problem.”

Ace muttered something that a baby wouldn’t be able to pass his exam in the morning, while he followed his brothers, but at the door he turned around. Awkwardly, he scratched the back of his head. “I really can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me today.”

Marco shrugged. “It’s my job to see your grades improve.”

“Not on your own time,” Ace flung back. “You’re not getting paid for this, are you?”

Marco smiled. “No, but I had fun.”

“Me too.” Ace grinned back at him, before coughing embarrassedly. “Would you… like to hang out with us this weekend? Watch a movie or something?” He looked up carefully.

“I’d like that,” Marco said with a warm smile.

Ace beamed at him. “Great. I’d love for us to be friends.”

“Yeah,” Marco said softly. “Me too.”


	20. Trip into a Black Hole

Marco felt a bit awkward as he was holding the six-pack of beers while pressing the button to the elevator. Ace had invited him to watch a movie, but, as Marco had to remind himself over and over, it was not a date. Far from it. Ace had asked if he would like to hang out with _them_ , meaning him _and_ his brothers.

Marco had almost bought a bottle of wine to bring with him, as he didn’t feel like he could show up empty handed, but since wine felt too date-y, he had opted for beer. He hoped they drank, but otherwise, Marco would probably down them on his own. He would need it, having Ace so close to him again.

One of the brothers had slid a note under Marco’s door yesterday, with the date and time he was expected to show, and the apartment number. Marco assumed it was Luffy, considering it looked like an eight year old had written it, and there were several thumbprints in ink on the paper.

Marco had no idea if he was supposed to bring anything or if he should have eaten beforehand. The note had not been that clear, so he had made a light dinner just in case.

He had been excited when Ace had invited him to come over, even if the word “friend” had stung a little. Not that Marco had expected anything else, and really, he was happy Ace wanted to be friends with him. They could just as easily have gone back to the way they were, just counsellor and student, who had no more interaction than necessary. Was it odd that Ace wanted to be friends with someone like Marco? Should Marco feel flattered that someone was young as Ace could still appreciate him?

Marco was standing in front of the right door too soon for his liking. Maybe he should have thought this through longer and not go. What did these kids even have in common with him? Sure, he and Ace had talked for a long time, but that was mostly about the stupid things their siblings did.

He was just about to turn around to drown his sorrows, when the door flung open and the choice was made for him.

“Mister Pineapple-head is here!” Luffy called over his shoulder into the apartment.

Marco wondered if Luffy had heard him approaching, when Luffy skipped right past him and dove into the elevator, which doors were just about to close.

“See you in a bit!” he called as the doors slid shut.

Marco was a bit flabbergasted about the whole ordeal, but he didn’t get the chance to recover, as Ace already pulled him inside.

“I’m glad you could make it,” he said and beamed a smile at Marco, which caused Marco’s stomach to do some flip-flops.

Marco smiled back at him, still feeling awkward and even more so when Ace pulled him further inside.

“I’ll introduce you to the others.”

_Wait, what?_

Only now he noticed that the room was filled with people who were currently staring at him, having been too distracted by how warm Ace’s hand felt on his wrist to note them before. Nine pairs of curious eyes were currently aimed at him, not counting Sabo who was doing something in the kitchen.

“This is Zoro,” Ace pointed at a green haired man, who Marco recognised instantly. He had been the guy Thatch had tried to push on him when he was visiting the strip club for the first time. Another stripper. Great.

“And that’s Sanji, Chopper, Usopp, Vivi, Nami, Franky, Brook and Robin,” Ace finished introducing.

Aside from the green haired stripper, Robin also looked familiar to Marco, and he realised she worked as a teacher at the university as well. He politely shook their hands and looked a bit dismayed at the six-pack he was still holding. He didn’t even have enough to hand out one round.

“It’s really sweet of you to bring something,” Ace hastened himself to say, obviously having noticed his crestfallen face, as he took the beers from him. “The others brought some too. Look.” He pointed at the table, which was stacked with beer, wine and other beverages. “So don’t worry about it.” He shot Marco another smile, which immediately made him forget his disappointment.

Sabo returned from the kitchen and greeted Marco as he dried his hands. “Welcome to our movie night,” he said with a grin. “Just sit wherever.”

“Thanks. I hadn’t expected so many people, though,” Marco said to Sabo and Ace.

“Well, we agreed on watching a movie, and Luffy always invites his friends for that,” Ace explained. “You’re one of them now, whether you like it or not. Sorry about that.”

Marco smiled, though he wasn’t sure how to reply to that. So he changed the subject. “Shouldn’t he be here for the movie then?”

“Oh, he’ll be back in a bit. He decided we didn’t have enough snacks – which isn’t surprising, really – so he went to the store.” Sabo handed out some beers and filled glasses with wine for those who preferred that. Franky seemed to be all about cola.

Marco took a beer from the table while Ace and Sabo went to the kitchen to get more glasses, but before he could take a sip, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Behind him, the green haired man, Zoro, was standing, looking not too pleased.

“Can you come with me for a sec?” he asked.

Frowning, Marco followed him into the hallway. Somehow, he had expected something like this, as he had felt Zoro’s eyes on him since the moment he stepped through the door.

As soon as Marco had pulled the door shut behind him, he turned to Zoro, who had crossed his arms before his chest.

“Look, I don’t know why Ace thought it was a good idea to have you over. Usually, he is not too fond of ‘customers’. But that is none of my business,” Zoro started. “However, I am the only one present who knows what he does for a living. Not even Sabo or Luffy do. Well, Robin might know, but she can read your mind or something. Anyway,” he continued after straying from his point, “say one word about it and I’ll make you regret it. Agreed?”

Marco studied Zoro’s face. He was completely serious. While Marco understood he was trying to protect his friend, Marco did not like to be threatened. “I am well aware that Ace does not like his secret to be shared,” he replied coolly. He realised he sounded like he and Ace were BFFs, something which they were far from, but he didn’t care.

Zoro seemed like he was about to reply, but then the elevator doors opened and a pile of snacks came walking out. Or, actually, it was Luffy carrying a pile of snacks in a gravity-defying manner.

“Hi, Zoro. Hi, Mr Pineapple-head,” he greeted them from behind the pile.

Marco sighed. “You could just call me Marco, you know.”

The pile seemed to shrug. “Okay. Zoro, hold this.” Luffy pressed the pile of snacks into Zoro’s arms, which of course caused them to fall, and while Marco helped Zoro pick them up, Luffy opened the door to the apartment again. “I’m back!” he called inside.

Ace gave Marco an odd look when he walking back into the apartment behind Zoro, and Marco had the feeling he knew what they had talked about. Ace remained silent on the matter, however, and instead asked: “Marco, are you a vegetarian?”

“Who doesn’t like meat?” Luffy asked rhetorically, with a dramatic shrug.

“Shut up, Lu. Or are you allergic to anything? You do like pizza, right?” Ace was holding the phone, and Marco realised he was going to order more food.

“Er, sure,” he said. “I do eat meat and I’m not allergic to anything.”

“Great!” Ace placed the phone to his ear. “Okay, so that’s fifteen total.”

Fifteen? Marco’s eyebrows rose. There were only twelve people present, plus the enormous pile of snacks. Marco couldn’t help but wonder how on earth they would be able to eat it all. He had seen Ace eat dinner, but surely his appetite wouldn’t be _this_ big.

“It’s better just to roll with it,” Nami said with a sigh when she saw his confused face. “Believe me, it’s not too much.”


	21. Let's Twist Again

It was Robin’s turn to pick the movie, which no one was too happy about, as it meant it was some gory horror movie or thriller. Ace hoped it wouldn’t scare Marco off too much, but fortunately, movie night didn’t necessarily mean watching the movie. Marco seemed to have figured that out as he was engrossed in a conversation with Robin and Brook.

Ace smiled. He had dared to invite Marco precisely because of their presence, and Franky’s as well, as Marco probably would appreciate being surrounded by people older than students and Luffy. And Robin worked at the university as well, so they had something to talk about.

Then again, Robin always knew everyone’s deepest, darkest secrets, so they would have something to talk about anyway.

The pizzas were delivered, and Ace handed Marco a Hawaiian one as he took a seat on the armrest. It was almost endearing the way Marco stared confused at his pizza, only to discover a few slices missing that were just disappearing in Luffy’s mouth.

“Dammit, Lu! Stop stealing food!” Ace scolded him.

“I thought he didn’t want them,” Luffy replied quasi-innocently.

Ace rolled his eyes and offered some of his pizza to Marco, who declined politely.

“I have already eaten,” he said.

“Smart move, since in this house it’s never certain you get anything,” Nami said as she walked by and sat down next to Vivi.

All eyes turned to Luffy, who just stuffed his face with something that appeared to be a slice of Usopp’s pizza. He looked back at them with large, owlish eyes.

Ace didn’t get much of a chance to talk with Marco until the movie was over and Luffy took out the Twister mat.

“Come on, Marco! Let’s play,” he called.

Marco sipped from his beer. “No, thank you. I don’t think that game is meant for grownups.”

“But it’s fun!” Ace said. “Even more so when you’re drunk.” He giggled. During the movie, the booze supply had shrunk considerably. Ace stretched himself and almost lost his balance, nearly falling in Marco’s lap.

“I’m not drunk,” Marco replied with a hint of a smirk on his face.

Ace had seen that Marco had drunk a lot from the stash, but he seemed to hold his liquor very well. He might even be a match for Zoro, Ace thought.

“But everyone has done it,” Luffy whined.

“It’s kind of an initiation,” Sabo explained to Marco. His cheeks were quite red from the alcohol. “We’ll play too.” He gestured between himself and Ace.

“Don’t try too hard,” Nami warned Marco. “Luffy always wins with this game. It’s like he’s made of rubber or something.”

Zoro grinned. “He didn’t win when Curly-brow here was playing.” He jerked his thumb in the direction of Sanji.

Sanji smirked around his unlit cigarette, but kicked Zoro in the shin for the nickname. “I’m limber.”

“So are you,” Marco said to Ace.

At the same time as Ace, he seemed to realise what he had said, as his usual droopy eyes widened to twice their size.

“And how would you know that, Mr Counsellor?” Robin inquired, a slight smile on her face.

“I–” Marco looked at Ace. “I just assumed,” he stammered. “With his body type… Let’s play Twister.”

“Yay!” Luffy called out.

Ace didn’t dare to look at Robin. She didn’t buy Marco’s explanation, and neither would Nami, nor would they let themselves be distracted. Maybe Ace could tell them they slept together once. Or was that worse than him working in a strip club?

For now, however, they held their questions and looked on amused how Luffy explained the rules to Marco – who no doubt already knew them.

Robin took up the spinner. Ace knew that that couldn’t mean anything good, but he was helpless to say anything about it. Instead, he downed his beer and walked over to his brothers and Marco, who were standing ready.

“I’ll call the moves for each person individually. Since you’re playing with four, you should make teams,” Robin said, looking up from the instructions. “That means that members of the same team can cover one circle with one hand or foot each. If one player of the team falls, the team is eliminated.”

“Somehow, when you say it, it’s like we’ll be executed,” Ace mumbled. He heard Marco snicker beside him. “I’ll go with Marco,” he continued.

Since no one seemed to have objections to that, they stood ready until Robin called the first colour.

It didn’t take long before they all were in each other’s way, but everyone remained standing. Marco seemed limber enough to hold on for a while, but Ace remembered why this game was so tough while drunk. Not only did he have to aim right to touch the circles, but he also had to stay balanced. Every once in a while, he leaned against Marco, who kept him upright. It wasn’t really allowed, and he had no doubt Robin or one of the others had seen it, but nobody said a thing.

“Mr Counsellor, left hand green, please,” Robin said.

Marco moved with a grunt. He was currently hovering over Ace, his chest against Ace’s back.

When he had taken his position, Ace realised they were standing in a rather suggestive pose. Ace had his ass up in the air, standing with his legs spread a little and leaning on his hands, while Marco was in a similar position above him.

Well, it might have been suggestive if Luffy’s and Sabo’s limbs weren’t entangled with theirs in an impossible way. Still, Ace’s mind flashed back to the day he had seen Marco naked, and his face turned bright red. This really wasn’t the best moment to think about that, not with Marco hovering above him and breathing against his ear.

Shaking his head to try to rid it of those thoughts, Ace figured that he shouldn’t drink so much next time they would play Twister.

He really hoped he imagined the snickering he heard from their audience.

“Ace, left foot on red, please.”

Ace’s eyes widened. Why was this game fun again? The only way he would manage that move was to flip himself over completely. “Just gimme a minute,” he muttered, trying to ignore Marco’s breath that he still felt.

After what felt forever, and many people laughing at him, Ace had managed to flip himself over. He just needed to reach red. “Almost there,” he muttered. “Almost…”

Then, his foot cramped, and his leg jerked.

“Holy ffff…” Marco jolted and collapsed, headbutting Ace in the nose.

Ace cursed and went down as well, grabbing at his nose as he felt liquid spill from it.

“Yay, we win!” Luffy called out happily, only then noticing Ace clutching at his nose and Marco protecting his groin. “You’re not really good at this game,” he said almost disappointed.

“Ah! Someone call a doctor!” Chopper called out, forgetting he was studying to become one.

“Are you okay, Marco-bro?” Franky asked worriedly.

“I’m fine,” Marco replied, though his voice was higher than usual.

Ace looked at his hand that was now crimson from blood.

Sighing, Nami walked over to the freezer and grabbed a bag of ice. She handed it to Marco and gave Ace some tissues.

“Does Chopper need to check up on you two?” Vivi asked concerned.

“I’m okay, really.” Marco didn’t sound very convincing.

“Are you sure, Mr Counsellor? We wouldn’t want you testicles to turn blue and fall off,” Robin said conversationally.

He all but glared at her. “Really, I’m fine.”

“What about you, Ace?” Chopper asked.

Ace allowed him to fuss over him, but soon, Chopper established that his nose wasn’t broken or crooked.

“I think it’s time to call it a night,” Nami said, making an attempt to hide her smile behind her hand. “See you next week.”

“Bye!” Luffy called as he saw his friends out.

Shaking his head, Sabo started to clean up. “Lu, you take care of the food?”

Despite everything, Ace smiled. ‘Taking care’ of the food meant for Luffy to eat what he hadn’t already eaten. Sabo didn’t get any complaints.

Ace sat down next to Marco on the couch, who had taken a seat with much effort. “I’m really sorry,” Ace said. “My foot cramped and…”

“It’s fine. I’m sorry I headbutted you, though,” Marco replied as he moved the bag of ice in his lap.

“Maybe you were right and is Twister not something grownups should do.” Ace couldn’t help a pout.

Marco smiled. “Well, at least we should wear protective gear next time.” He looked at Ace.

Ace looked back and started to chuckle. Marco started to grin as well, and soon, the both of them were out of breath. Ace couldn’t stop laughing, despite the fact that his stomach started to ache. He placed his forehead on Marco’s upper leg – his nosebleed had stopped in the meantime, fortunately – as he tried to get his laughter under control.

Finally, the jerks his body made started to cease, and he gasped for air. A hand intertwined with his hair, and he looked up. Marco was looking back at him, smiling.

Ace’s lips were parted slightly, but he barely noticed it. Something in Marco’s gaze had captivated him, and he wasn’t sure he minded.

“So is everything still attached?”

Ace jumped up, startled from his trance. “Can’t you knock?!” he snapped at Sabo.

Sabo looked confused. “When… I enter the living room?”

Ace turned bright red when he realised they were in a public room. “Y-yes,” he stammered. “It’s just polite.”

Sabo gave him a deadpanned look. “How drunk are you?”

Ace muttered something under his breath about not being _that_ drunk, when Marco rose, albeit carefully.

“I’ll be going now too. Thank you for having me.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Ace said, shooting a look at Sabo, who raised his hands in defensive gesture.

They walked to the elevator – though Marco limped slightly. As they waited for it to arrive, Ace said, “Thanks for coming. I hope you had some fun despite… everything.”

Marco smiled at him. “I did.”

The elevator doors opened, and Marco stepped inside. “I’ll see you around then.”

“Yeah. See ya.”

Ace returned back to his apartment, feeling strangely light. And somehow, he didn’t think it was because of the alcohol.


	22. Dirty Dancing

It was a few days after their last encounter, and Ace hadn’t been able to shake the weird feeling he had had that night. At first, he had blamed the alcohol for it, but when it was still there the next day when he woke up, he didn’t really have that excuse anymore.

It also wasn’t helping that Sabo kept smirking at him in a rather disturbing way.

However, today Ace couldn’t be bothered by confusing feelings or whatever. He had gotten his grade back, and for the first time since he had started working in the strip club, not only had he passed, but he had passed with flying colours.

And he had Marco to thank for that.

He had bought a six-pack of beer, even though that wasn’t nearly enough to thank Marco properly for everything he had done, but Ace supposed that technically, he wouldn’t have to thank Marco for doing his job as counsellor, so this was just for letting Ace stay and study at his house.

Ace stopped in front of Marco’s apartment and knocked on the door. Sabo and Luffy weren’t home, which Ace was grateful for, because they would be loud and annoying, not because Ace wanted to be alone with Marco. Just to be clear.

Marco opened the door and smiled as he saw Ace.

“I passed,” Ace said proudly, knowing that Marco would know what he talked about, and pressed the beers into Marco’s hands.

Marco looked a bit surprised at the booze suddenly in his hands. “Congratulations. But what’s this for?”

“For helping me, of course. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Ace grinned at him.

Marco shook his head, smiling. “You did it all by yourself. Do you want to come in?” he asked as Ace didn’t make an attempt to leave.

Ace nodded and walked inside the apartment that was becoming quite familiar, where he was greeted enthusiastically by Stefan.

“You have dogsitting duty?” he asked as he scratched Stefan behind his ears.

Marco let out a laugh. “Something like that. Pops is out of town for a few days, so he asked if I could watch him for a bit.”

Ace ruffled Stefan’s fur some more and gasped as he found himself suddenly on his back on the floor, being profoundly licked.

“Stefan!” Marco warned sharply.

Stefan moved back and whined softly.

“It’s okay. You were just playing, weren’t you?” Ace said as he took Stefan’s head between his hands.

Stefan barked excitedly, and Ace found himself playing around with him on Marco’s floor, as Marco himself looked on amusedly.

“Oh, I forgot,” Ace said after a while, as he wiped his face clean from dog drool, “how is your… er, downstairs?”

Marco snorted at his formulation, but smiled. “It’s fine. Growing up with as much siblings as I have, it wasn’t my first knee to the groin.”

“So it’s your own fault for not wearing a jockstrap,” Ace joked.

“As much as it was yours for not wearing a nose guard,” Marco countered.

Ace chuckled, giving Stefan one last pet before he moved next to Marco on the couch. Stefan followed immediately and placed his head in Ace’s lap, begging to be petted again.

“He likes you,” Marco said with a smile. “He is a good judge of character. That’s how I knew there had to be something underneath all your attitude when we first met,” he added with a s teasing smirk.

“You’re not gonna let that go, are you?” Ace said, pouting. “Though, in that regard, Stefan is like Luffy. Y’know, that’s how I knew you were probably not a creepy stalker.”

Marco let out a laugh. “Well, I’m not _creepy_ …”

Ace elbowed him in the ribs.

Marco laughed again and rose. “You wanna watch a movie or something?”

When Ace nodded, Marco inquired if he wanted a beer, and after Ace confirmed that, Marco sat back next to him with two beers and a bowl of popcorn.

The movie wasn’t particularly interesting, at least not to capture Ace’s attention to stop himself from glancing at Marco. Stefan had made himself comfortable on both of their laps and kept hitting Ace in the face with his tail.

There was a weird tension between Ace and Marco as they watched in silence; one that hadn’t been there before, or perhaps Ace just hadn’t noticed.

Ace was chewing on his lip nervously, in between spitting out dog hairs. He reached into the bowl of popcorn just when Marco did as well, and their hands touched.

Ace jerked his hand away as if he were burned, bright red, earning a puzzled look from Marco.

“I just remembered I should wash the dog slobber off my hands,” he murmured as he pushed an indignant Stefan off him and moved to the kitchen.

When Ace sat back down and Stefan took his former position with a huff, Ace made sure he only grabbed popcorn when Marco wasn’t. Fuck, did he actually start liking Marco?

He knew Marco liked him. Well, Marco liked him in tight shorts when he was dancing around him, in any case. But a lot of people liked him then. Ever since Marco knew he was a student – no, even before that, when they met outside the strip club – Marco had been nothing but nice and polite to Ace – despite the fact that _he_ had been an ass.

Now they were friends, or something like that, and Ace wasn’t sure how Marco felt about him. He seemed to be over his little crush – if Ace could call it that – and probably had a sense of duty that he couldn’t go after a student.

Perhaps Ace could summon old feelings in Marco if he reminded him of how they met?

“Hey Marco,” he said, uncaring that the movie was only half way through, “could you help me with something?”

“What do you need help with?” Marco asked as he was petting a content Stefan.

“Well, I have this new choreography, and I’m not completely sure about it,” Ace explained. It wasn’t entirely true per se, but he needed an excuse.

“You… want to dance for me?” Marco asked slowly, scratching Stefan behind his ear.

Ace shrugged. “Just for practice. I can’t ask my brothers because, gross, I’m not gonna give my brothers a lap dance, and they don’t know what I’m doing for a living. Please?” He used his puppy eyes.

He could see Marco’s resistance crumble. “Fine,” he said with a sigh. “Though, when you look like that, I can’t believe you’re a stripper.”

Ace flashed him a grin as he scrolled through his phone for appropriate music. “I need you to sit on a chair, though.”

“Stefan won’t be pleased,” Marco said jokingly as he pushed the dog off him and indeed got an indignant glare from Stefan. He grabbed a chair from the dinner table and put it in the middle of the room so Ace had enough room to dance around it. As he sat down he muttered, “I can’t believe I agreed to this.”

“I did it to you before. And I _know_ you liked it,” Ace said with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

“That was different,” Marco protested. “I didn’t know you.”

“Just shut up and enjoy the show.” Ace smirked as he selected a song. He stood in front of Marco with his back turned to him.

In time with the beat of the music, he rotated his hips as he lowered himself to the ground. There, squatting, he placed his hands between his legs on the floor and leaned on them as he spread his legs.

He moved his body forwards until he was sitting on all fours, his ass up in the air, and looked over his shoulder to see Marco’s reaction. Much to his dismay, Marco didn’t look like he had the first time Ace had given him a lap dance. Then, Marco had stared at him in awe, as if Ace was the only thing worth looking at in the world, unable to move. Right now, however, Marco had a pensive look on his face, as he seemed to be evaluating Ace’s movements. Maybe Ace shouldn’t have asked for an opinion. He felt more like he was dancing in front of a judge of some kind of TV show, rather than trying to seduce Marco. Okay, he might not be in his usual outfit, now wearing baggy shorts, but no shirt, because those were overrated anyway.

He would have to step up his game.

Ace rose slowly from the ground and turned around, never stopping to sway his hips. He let his hand slide down his own hips, and back up again across his chest until they reached his hair. Intertwining with the strands, Ace lowered himself again and opened his legs as he let his hands roam them.

Yet, there was still no reaction from Marco.

Ace placed his hands on Marco’s knees, pushing himself up. He rolled his body forward before placing a foot on either side of Marco’s legs. He pushed his body forward again, before sitting down in his lap. Ace bent himself backwards, placing his hands on the floor as his stomach stood taut.

Marco looked on intrigued, yet not nearly as dumbfounded as before.

Ace pulled himself up again and rose from Marco’s lap. He turned around again – he knew for a _fact_ that Marco liked his ass – and pushed his hips back, rolling them.

He continued his moves, trying to get some sort of reaction out of Marco, until the song died down. Ace stood still, his back turned Marco and feeling rather unaccomplished. “So, what do you think?” he asked, not too enthusiastically.

“It looks good to me. If I may comment on your final pose, though.”

Confused, Ace looked at him. His ‘final pose’ was just him standing still, rather deflated. But apparently, Marco had different ideas.

“If I may,” Marco said and gestured if he wanted to touch Ace.

Ace nodded, still confused.

Marco rose from the chair and placed his hands gently on Ace’s hips as he tilted them slightly. Ace’s heart was beating fast. Marco was standing close behind him and he could feel his breath against his ear.

“Like that,” Marco muttered and moved. Ace immediately missed the warmth.

Marco now stood in front of him and moved his upper body slightly as well as if he were a doll to play with. He then took a step back and evaluated his work with critical eye, and Ace felt like an unfinished sculpture.

“Now no one can resist you,” Marco said, sounding pleased with himself. He was probably right, though. Ace was standing with his ass pushed back, his upper body tilted and showing off all his prominent features.

“How much strip clubs did you go to that you’re such an expert?” Ace muttered.

Marco just flashed him a grin.

Ace started wondering what he was doing. He had sworn off men when he started working in the strip club, _especially_ guys who visited those. And here he was, trying to seduce one of his customers. Marco was nice and all, but nice enough to break his rule for? And to risk his reputation, because sleeping with a counsellor would raise some eyebrows for sure.

Suddenly, Stefan, who had been lying on the couch, watching what those silly humans were doing, decided it was playtime again. He used his head to push against Ace’s ass, causing him to lose his balance, and he fell forward.

Instinctively, Marco caught him, placing his hands on Ace’s hips. Their faces were only inches away from each other.

Ace’s doubts had disappeared instantly. All he could think now was how nice it would be to kiss Marco. His eyes flicked up, instantly realising he had made a mistake. He couldn’t tear his gaze away anymore from those blue, blue eyes, as Marco’s hands remained firmly on his hips.


	23. Can't Touch This

Marco had no idea how they had ended up in this rather compromising position. His hands were still on Ace’s hips, and their faces so close that Marco would only have to tilt his head a little to bring their lips together. Ace was looking at him, looking somewhere between shocked and surprised.

This hadn’t supposed to happen.

When Ace had stopped by with beer, Marco had been surprised, but then Ace had explained that he had passed his exam, and he understood it was reason to celebrate. That Ace had wanted to celebrate with _him_ , he hadn’t expected, but Ace didn’t attempted to leave, so Marco had invited him in.

So far, so good, because they were friends now, and friends could hang out by themselves, right?

Cue the movie. It hadn’t been a romantic one, just some lame action movie with little to no plot, but it had distracted Marco from being nervous about being alone with Ace. Until he and Ace reached into the bowl at the same time and their fingers had touched.

Ace was obviously not okay with Marco touching him, so Marco paid more attention to when he grabbed popcorn. He didn’t want Ace to feel uncomfortable.

At that point, he had thought the boundaries of their relationship were clear. They were friends, they could hang out, but they didn’t touch. Crystal clear.

And then Ace had asked if he could perform his latest routine on him. His lap dance routine. Marco hadn’t understood why, exactly, but apparently, Ace felt comfortable enough with him to demonstrate. Of course, Marco _had_ been Ace’s customer, so he probably wanted the opinion of an average client.

Still, Marco had felt inclined to refuse, but then Ace used puppy eyes on him, and he hadn’t been able to resist. Ace had actually seemed… excited. Maybe he was proud of his choreography?

He should be, in any case. Ace was incredibly talented, and Marco had a tough time trying to be critical. Ace had asked for his opinion, so he needed to focus on the steps, not who was performing them. Though, that was a little difficult with Ace pushing his ass in Marco’s face, and even sitting in his lap.

However, throughout the dance, Ace’s moves had become less and less passionate, and his enthusiasm seemed to disappear. Marco wondered why. Ace had probably realised it was a little weird to do this with Marco.

When Ace finished, Marco wondered if he should applaud. Ace had looked rather deflated, however, not as seductive as in the beginning. Since this had been about Marco giving his opinion, he did just that, approaching Ace carefully and asking him if it was okay to touch him, since Ace seemed a bit wary about that. He had allowed it, however, and Marco had carefully put him in a pose he was sure Ace’s clients would like, because he himself did very much.

The first time Marco had visited the strip club, Ace had told him no touching, and he had pretty much kept that up until now. Now that he was allowed to, Marco had had to concentrate not to touch Ace more than necessary.

Why Stefan had thought it a good idea to launch Ace into his arms was beyond Marco. He probably thought they were playing, or just wanted attention – they hadn’t petted him during the three of four minutes the song lasted, after all.

So here they were, Marco’s hands inappropriately on Ace’s hips – and did Marco just imagine it or did Ace’s eyes flicked to his lips?

“Ace! You here?”

Someone banged on the door, and Ace jumped out of Marco’s arms like a cat who had just gotten a bucket of water over it.

Marco blinked, confused because everything was suddenly happening so fast.

Luffy came bouncing inside, followed by Sabo – Marco should really lock his door. Luffy seemed to forget about his mission the moment he saw Stefan, and started playing with him. Sabo cast a suspicious look on the chair in the middle of the room, before sitting down on the couch like he owned the place.

“I was just here to thank Marco for letting me study here, since I passed my exam,” Ace said almost defensively, while no question was asked. He looked over his shoulder at Marco, who went to grab a beer for Sabo and a coke for Luffy, because it didn’t look like they were about to leave.

Sabo shrugged. “Okay. How?” An almost lecherous grin appeared on his face.

“H-how what?” Ace asked, his cheeks slightly flushed.

“How did you thank him?”

“He brought me beer,” Marco said hastily, before Ace could reply.

“Ah, yes, say it with beer,” Sabo muttered as he took a sip of his. ‘Well, we figured you’d be here when you weren’t home.”

“Yeah, you’re so mean for hanging out with Marco without us– Is that popcorn?” Luffy immediately started to stuff his face from the bowl that was still on the couch, Stefan temporarily forgotten.

“I’ll ask for written permission next time,” Ace snapped and sat down next to his brothers on the couch. Stefan lay down in their laps.

Marco picked up the chair that had been standing in the middle of the room and placed it back at the table, before taking a seat in an armchair.

Ace tried to cover up that he was evading eye contact with Marco by scratching Stefan’s belly, but Marco noticed anyway.

He sighed. He had fucked it up again.


	24. Kiss Kiss Fall in Love

Ace needed to know.

Fuck, Marco had to like him, right? Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been that tension between then, right?!

Luffy – and Sabo, but Ace had the feeling he had done it on purpose to mess with Ace – had the worst timing ever. Ace couldn’t blame him, though. He could never stay mad at Luffy; besides, _he_ wouldn’t have done it on purpose.

Ace had been _so_ close. He was really on his way seducing Marco, though, at the time he figured he had failed since Marco had looked quite impassive. However, when Stefan decided to launch him in Marco’s arms, there had definitely been _something_. Some kind of tension.

Their noses had almost touched, and he was pretty sure Marco would have kissed him.

Right?

Still, the rest of the evening Marco had looked a little sad for some reason. Hopefully because they didn’t kiss, as Ace was about to change that. They didn’t have any more time alone yesterday, though, and it was already quite late when Sabo and Luffy left. Ace didn’t really have an excuse to stay behind, so he had gone home too.

Today, however, he would find out what Marco _really_ wanted. No more interruptions.

His classes were over now, and Ace was on his way to Marco’s office. He couldn’t wait any longer, as he had already barely been able to pay attention in class. Plus, no Luffy or Sabo.

Without bothering to knock – that would only hold him up, and besides, Marco would have time for him anyway – Ace barged into Marco’s office.

What he hadn’t expected was to find Marco in discussion with another student.

Right, Marco was a counsellor.

“I don’t have walk-in hour right now, and as you can see, I’m with a student. Wait outside if you want to speak to me, and _knock_ next time,” Marco said, sounding quite strict. Obviously, he was in counsellor mode and wouldn’t allow any argument.

Ace cast a look on the student sitting with Marco. He had blond, long hair and was fiddling with sunglasses. At least he wasn’t a stripper – not at Ace’s strip club, anyway.

Ace got another warning look from Marco and hastily left the office. Outside, he groaned and let his head fall against the wall. Now that he had extra time, he wasn’t really sure what he should say to Marco. He was more a man of action, really.

He could hear voices from the other side of the door, and curiosity got the better of him as he pressed his ear against it. He could hear Marco talk about grades and stuff, so nothing that interested Ace, but he still kept listening.

Suddenly, he could hear footsteps nearing and he dove into the chairs that stood there for people waiting, pretending he was sitting there all the time.

The student came out of Marco’s office, looking at Ace and huffing, before placing his sunglasses on his nose and walking away.

Marco came out of his office as well, leaning casually against the doorframe. “You really should start making appointments,” he said in a serious tone, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. “So what’s the matter? Problems with the grant?” He walked inside his office, obviously expecting Ace to follow.

“I’m not here to talk to a counsellor,” Ace said as he closed the door behind him.

He could see Marco tense up. “No?”

“I,” Ace hesitated for a moment, “I wanted to talk about last night.”

Marco froze on his way to his desk and then sighed. “Yeah, about that. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault my brothers came barging in,” Ace protested.

Marco looked at him confusedly. “I’m sorry?”

“Well, they interrupted us. You were gonna kiss me, right?”

Marco gaped at him, before he recovered. “I hope not.”

“Why?” Ace said, frowning. “You like me, right?”

“You think I do?”

“Don’t you?” Ace pressed.

Marco sighed and rubbed his temples. “Whether I like you or not is not–”

“So you do!” Ace interrupted him triumphantly.

“That’s not the point,” Marco said sharply. Then he sighed again. “What are you trying to get from this, Ace? Are you trying to humiliate me?”

“What? Of course not! I’m just trying to get you to admit that you like me. And to kiss me.”

“You… want me to kiss you?” Marco asked slowly, obviously not fully comprehending.

“Yes! So kiss me.”

“Ace, I don’t think–”

“Just kiss m–mpf!”

Ace really shouldn’t have been surprised when Marco pressed his lips against his. He had asked, no, demanded it, after all.

However, it took him only a second to recover, and ignoring the frame of Marco’s glasses that was poking in his cheek, he placed his hand in Marco’s neck to keep him close.

Kissing Marco was as fantastic as he had imagined, maybe even better. Marco definitely knew what he was doing, moving his lips slowly against Ace’s, before he started using his tongue.

Ace moaned. He hadn’t even noticed Marco had pushed him backwards until his ass hit the desk. Marco’s hand slid up his upper legs and lifted him up until he was sitting on the surface, meanwhile never breaking the kiss.

Ace’s fingers intertwined with Marco’s hair, pulling it gently, while his other hand remained on Marco’s neck to keep him close. He couldn’t say he had expected _this_ to happen, but who was he to complain?

“So, Mr Fenwick, do you have the forms I asked for?”

A man entered the office without knocking, looking at some papers in his hands. When he looked up, however, his face was priceless.

Marco was still standing between Ace’s legs, who was sitting on Marco’s desk, both their lips red and swollen.

The man looked vaguely familiar to Ace, but Marco’s defeated look spoke volumes. Marco had told Ace that this man didn’t like him, and would take any excuse to fire him.

They had just been caught by the dean.

“Are you a student here?” he asked Ace sharply.

“Yes. I mean, no!” Ace corrected himself hastily, but he knew it was too late.

Marco covered his face with his hand, as a mean grin appeared on the dean’s face.

“Leave us,” the latter ordered Ace.

Ace was about to protest, but Marco shook his head, defeated. “Just… do as he says.”

Letting his head hang, Ace whispered, “I’m sorry,” before he left the room. He wasn’t about to go, though, not without knowing what would happen to Marco, and pressed his ear against the door again.

“This is how you treat your students? Students who come to you for help?” The dean sounded indignantly, but Ace doubted he was actually worried about Ace’s wellbeing. He had heard one too many stories from Marco and Robin how dean Sakazuki only cared about his own image and the reputation of the university.

“He was not seeking my help,” Marco replied coolly. “And I don’t do this with others either.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you took advantage of a student,” Sakazuki replied.

Ace grit his teeth. Marco hadn’t taken advantage of him! It just happened that Ace was so stupid as to challenge Marco to kiss him in his office.

“Do you see the headlines already?” Ace imagined Sakazuki was smirking. “ _Counsellor abuses power and makes students pay with their bodies_.”

He sounded a little too much like he would enjoy reading that very much.

“What do you want?” Marco asked.

Ace didn’t like how defeated he sounded.

“You know what I want.”

“Fine,” Marco replied primly, and some shuffling sounded. “You’ll have my letter of resignation in the morning.”


	25. Talk This Way

Ace hid himself when Sakazuki came out of Marco’s office. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to punch him in the nose to wipe that smirk off his face, or to go to see how Marco was.

He decided on doing the latter, as he could always do the former later, which he probably would. There was no need to get himself into trouble now, not before he had talked to Marco.

Carefully, he opened the door of Marco’s office. Marco was still standing in the middle of the room, his shoulders slumped. When he noticed Ace, he seemed surprised.

“I’m so sorry,” Ace said softly. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Were you listening?” When Ace nodded, Marco sighed. “I know you didn’t intend this to happen. It’s not your fault.”

“How can you say that?!” Ace burst out. “I’m the one that demanded that you kissed me!”

“If you’d told me to jump in a ditch, I wouldn’t have done it either unless I wanted to.” Marco looked him straight in the eye. “I wanted to kiss you. I just… should have timed it better.”

“I can fix this! I’ll… I’ll just seduce him and you can take a picture when I’m sitting in his lap or something!” Ace exclaimed. “You can take over his job. It’ll work out great.”

Marco sighed again. “Don’t be ridiculous. This was long time coming. He just doesn’t like me. If he hadn’t forced me to resign over this, it would have been something else. But he may be a dick, he is a good dean.”

Ace’s shoulders slumped. “But it’s not fair! You’re not even my teacher or anything.”

“No, but here there is a certain hierarchy. I’m a counsellor, I can’t make out with students,” Marco explained.

Ace crossed his arms before his chest. “Student _s_? Something I should know about?”

“That wasn’t what I meant. Just that I, as a counsellor, can’t be seen kissing with you, a student.” Marco leaned on his desk.

“Well then,” Ace said softly. “So if I’m not a student, there isn’t a problem anymore?”

“Don’t you dare!”

Ace was taken aback by the sudden fierceness of Marco’s voice. He actually sounded angry.

“This is your education we’re talking about. Don’t you dare quit for my sake!”

Ace nodded, wide-eyed.

Marco’s face softened. “I was considering finding another job anyway. I’m a big boy, Ace, I’ll land on my feet. I’m sure my father can help me out with a new job.”

Ace still wasn’t convinced.

Marco tried to smile reassuringly, failing miserably, and ruffled his hair. “Really Ace, you have nothing to feel guilty about. Why don’t you go on ahead while I pack my things. We can talk at home, okay?”

“But,” Ace started, but Marco caressed his cheek.

“It’s really okay.”

Reluctantly, Ace nodded and turned to leave, when he thought of something. He turned back to Marco, a mischievous grin on his face. Marco looked surprised at his sudden change of mood, and even more so when Ace kissed him again, pushing him back until he was half lying on his desk with Ace on top of him. After recovering from his shock, Marco kissed him back with equal enthusiasm, grabbing at his upper legs and cupping his ass.

Finally, Ace moved off him, sending him a smirk. “Don’t take too long, okay?”

Marco nodded numbly, fixing his glasses.

However, when Ace made for the door, Marco called him back.

“Ace, promise me you won’t do anything stupid.” Ace huffed, but Marco continued, “I’m serious. Promise me.”

Ace sighed. “Alright, I promise.”

When Marco nodded in satisfaction, he left the room, but as soon as he was alone, his confidence disappeared and he started to feel guilty again. It was tempting to go to Sakazuki’s office and give him that well-deserved punch, but Marco would be mad if he got kicked out of university, especially after promising not to do anything stupid. Ace didn’t think punching the dean was stupid, but Marco would undoubtedly put it in the same category.

Eventually, he decided to do nothing, for now. First, he and Marco needed to talk, because even if Marco didn’t blame Ace for his forced resignation, they still needed to discuss what they would do, and more importantly, if they were dating or not.

Things had gone so fast since Ace had realised Marco wasn’t a stalker, but he definitely liked him now. And Marco liked him back, that much had been clear from their make-out sessions. But it would be good to talk about their relationship.

The afternoon Ace was waiting for Marco to return had to be the longest of his life. He had no idea how long it would take for Marco to pack his things, but he didn’t feel like going home either, because his brothers would no doubt sense his mood, and he didn’t want to talk about it until he had straightened things out with Marco.

Finally, Marco came home, carrying a box. He smiled and shook his head when he saw Ace sitting next to his door. “I would have let you know when I got here, you know.”

“I know, but I didn’t want my brothers to pry before I saw you. We have a lot to talk about.”

“I agree,” Marco said. “Could you hold this for a moment?” He handed Ace the box he had been carrying and opened the door.

Ace followed him inside, where they were greeted by Stefan, and placed the box on the coffee table while Marco hang up his jacket and then went to the kitchen to make tea. With two steaming mugs, he sat down next to Ace on the couch.

They were silent for a while, sipping their tea and petting Stefan. Ace knew they had to talk, but he wasn’t sure where to start. Finally, he said, “So, you like me.”

“I do.” Marco smiled.

“And I like you, so that’s a good start, I’d say,” Ace continued.

“When did that happen, though, if you don’t mind me asking?” Marco asked. “I remember a time you were worried I was looking through your window with night vision goggles…”

Ace elbowed him in the ribs, but he could laugh about it. “Yeah, yeah. I don’t know, I think I started to realise I did when you came over and we played twister. And yesterday, I decided it was a good idea to try to seduce you. At which I failed miserably, since you were sitting there all stone-faced.”

“You said you had trouble with the choreography,” Marco protested. “How was I supposed to know you tried to seduce me?”

“I was giving you a freaking lap dance!” Ace started to laugh, but then his face got serious again. “Okay, what are we gonna do about your job now that I got you fired?”

“ _I_ got me fired,” Marco corrected him sharply, “and technically, I resigned. I need to find a new job, that’s all.”

“With this economy? You shouldn’t talk like you can just waltz into a company and demand a job,” Ace huffed.

Marco laughed. “I know, but really, I’ll be fine. I promise.”

Ace wasn’t completely convinced, but when Marco leaned in to kiss him, he slowly melted against him. His hands roamed Marco’s body, and he moaned pleased. “I’d forgotten how hot your body is.”

He wanted to continue kissing Marco, but Marco pulled back slightly. “Since when? A few hours ago?”

Ace froze. He had never told Marco he had seen him naked, at the same time as he discovered his tattoo. “Er…” he said.

Marco looked at him curiously, and Ace gave in, sighing. “Okay. Have you ever wondered how I knew you had a tattoo?”

“I figured it shone through my shirt once or something. Why, is that not it?” Marco inquired.

Ace shook his head, a guilty look on his face, but it was time to come clean. “So, do you remember you loaned Sabo eggs once because the ones I bought were broken when I ran from you?” When Marco nodded, he continued, “Well, I was ordered by Sabo to bring you new ones, but when I placed them in front of your door, I noticed the door was ajar. It was still in the time I thought you might be a stalker, mind you, and I figured I should get confirmation.”

Marco raised an eyebrow, perhaps already guessing where the story was going.

Ace sighed. “I thought you’d be at work, so I went inside to snoop around. But before I could check more than the living room, you suddenly came out of the bathroom.”

Marco opened his mouth to say something, but remained silent.

“Someone called you, so I dove behind the couch, while you walked around your home… naked.” Ace looked guiltily to the floor.

Marco remained silent for a moment, before he burst out laughing.

Ace hadn’t expected that reaction, and he could only stare, not knowing how to react.

“So, you were stalking the person you thought was stalking you!” Marco hiccupped. “And ended up checking him out.”

“Oi, it’s not my fault you’re parading around naked!” Ace countered, his cheeks flushed.

Marco nodded, still wheezing as he pulled Ace close again.

Ace was pouting, but he could see the joke of it as well. Smiling, he leaned against Marco’s chest.

Marco finally calmed down and kissed Ace’s hair.

“I take it you’re not mad, then?” Ace asked.

Marco snorted. “Nah, it’s funny.”

“You don’t say,” Ace muttered, and then sighed. “I can’t believe you put up with all my crap and still want to be with me.”

“Perhaps because there’s not much to put up with.” Marco sat up a little straighter. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d have preferred the whole stalker incident hadn’t happened, but you did have reason to believe so, seeing you had another stalker. What happened to him, anyway?”

“He was transferred after he whipped out his gun in the strip club. I haven’t seen him since.” Ace sighed.

Marco hummed and pulled Ace close again.

“So, are we dating now then?” Ace asked softly.

“I’d like that,” Marco said, before adding, “as long as it’s not out of some weird sense of guilt.”

“It’s not,” Ace assured him.

Marco smiled. “Good.” He pulled Ace into a kiss.

Ace hummed pleased when their lips met again, the sound soon becoming a moan when Marco deepened the kiss. He was lying draped over Marco, whose hands caressed his back and legs.

Suddenly, Ace felt something else than Marco’s hands push against his ass, and when he looked over his shoulder, he saw Stefan standing, looking expectantly, his leash in his mouth and wagging his tail.

Marco chuckled. “It seems like someone needs a walk. Would you like to join us?”


	26. When the Student Becomes the Master

When Ace agreed and moved off Marco, Marco rose to get his jacket, while Stefan was already waiting by the door.

As they left Marco’s apartment, the outside door of the building opened and Luffy appeared. “Stefan!” he called out excitedly and dove towards him to pet him. “Oh, hi Ace,” Luffy added as if he only then noticed them. “Are you gonna walk Stefan? Can I come with you?”

Marco looked at Ace, who shrugged. Marco had already seen Luffy’s puppy eyes at work once, and if Luffy had been able to convince Ace when he still thought Marco was a stalker, he would probably agree now too.

“Sure,” Ace finally said, as expected, rolling his eyes when Luffy cheered.

The leash was out of Marco’s hand before either of them could even blink, and Luffy had already ran off with Stefan while they were still recovering.

Ace sighed. “I’m sorry, he can be a handful.”

“It’s fine,” Marco said with a smile. “So, do you still want to go for a walk or should we leave it to Luffy?”

“Perhaps it’s best to follow him, in case he’s making plans to kidnap Stefan for real,” Ace said with a chuckle.

Marco laughed as well as they left the building.

Outside, Ace took Marco’s hand in his hesitantly, but when Marco smiled reassuringly at him, he smiled as well.

Things seemed to have worked out well. Marco managed to get through to Ace that he wasn’t mad at him, nor did he blame him, and they were officially together now. True, the way it had happened was slightly unfortunate, but despite losing his job, Marco was happy.

Ace, on the other hand, looked far from happy at the moment.

“Are you okay?” Marco inquired.

“Sure.” Ace smiled in what he probably thought was a reassuring way, but the worry was still visible in his eyes.

Marco raised an eyebrow. Ace wasn’t fooling anyone. “What were you thinking about?”

Ace sighed. “Nothing. Just that I would feel a whole lot better if you found a job again.”

Yeah, Marco had figured as much. “I told you, I’ll be fine,” he said. “You didn’t do anything stupid, by the way, right?”

“No. I was tempted to punch Sakazuki in the face, but I figured you’d think that was ‘stupid’,” Ace replied, pouting.

Marco chuckled. “Yes, I’m old-fashioned that way. But I’m proud of you for restraining yourself.”

Ace hummed, but he did squeeze Marco’s hand a little. Suddenly, he seemed to get an idea. “You know, with a body like yours, you could ask Shanks for a job in the strip club,” he said, half-jokingly. “You two go way back, right?”

“I’m not gonna work in a strip club.” Marco sighed. “Not… again.”

Ace stopped in his tracks. “What?”

Marco came to a halt as well, scratching the back of his head as he turned to Ace. Telling him was long overdue. “When I was studying, I paid for my tuition by stripping as well. That’s actually how I know Shanks.”

“No. Freaking. Way!” Ace exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? You have to show me!”

“I haven’t done it in years,” Marco protested. “I’ve considered telling you, but very few people know about it. Not even my brothers know.”

“Still, I can’t believe you stripped as well!” Ace was actually beaming for some reason, but then his face turned pensive. “But I thought it was your first time in a strip club when we met?”

“It was my first time as client,” Marco explained. “And like I said, Izo and Thatch don’t know I have worked there.” Then his face turned serious. “I’ve dealt with the same creeps as you are dealing with now, that’s why I tried to keep my distance when you thought I was stalking you.”

“Did you have a stalker as well?” Ace asked softly.

“Not as such, but there are always people trying to claim you.”

Ace nodded, but then a smirk appeared on his face again. “Still, I want to see you pole dance!”

“Does it have to be now?” Marco protested.

“Sure! The club is closed, but I have the key. Come on!” He started to drag Marco along.

“What about Luffy and Stefan?” Marco tried.

Ace shrugged and placed his hands around his mouth. “Oi, Luffy!” he called to the small dot in the distance.

Luffy stopped and turned around.

“When you’re done walking Stefan, take him to our place. Marco and I have to do something.”

“Okay!” Luffy called back.

Ace grabbed Marco’s hand again and started dragging him in the direction of the strip club. Marco sighed. It didn’t seem like he had a choice in the matter.

When they arrived at the back entrance of the club, Ace fished the keys out of his pocket and let them inside. The club was dark and empty, but nothing that Marco hadn’t seen before. Since Shanks had taken over the club, though, he had made many improvements, and not just the interior design.

They were the only ones present, as expected since the club was closed.

Without hesitation, Ace made his way over to the control panel, which controlled the music and light. “Come on, time to shake that thing,” he said, grinning broadly.

With a smile, Marco shook his head. He took off his jacket, glasses, shoes and socks, as it was easier to dance with bare feet. “Fine, but like I said, it’s been a few years. I might be a little rusty.”

Ace just grinned and turned on some music and the spotlight as soon as Marco stood ready next to the pole on the stage.

Marco turned his back to Ace, one hand on the pole. He remembered his moves from a few years ago perfectly, but he wondered if he could still pull them off.

In time with the music, he rotated his hips slowly. When the vocals started, he hooked one leg around the pole and used the momentum to twist around it.

Ace had taken a seat, his eyes wide in awe.

Marco grinned. His body facing the pole, he rolled towards it, bringing his hips close for a moment and throwing his head back. He kept one hand on the pole as he swayed his hips some more, but when the music intensified, he suddenly grabbed it with both hands and threw his legs up, so he was hanging upside down. He was asking a lot from his arms, but fortunately, they held him, and he hooked one foot around the pole as he let himself slide down a little.

He flipped himself back on his feet again, leaning backwards in Ace's direction. He had to smirk when he noticed how affected Ace was by his movements. Ace was still seated, and moved his shorts a bit, which were getting tight around the crotch.

Marco was definitely pleased about that, but he wasn’t done yet.

He turned around the pole, holding it with one hand, before pressing his back against it and sliding down, with his other hand gripping at his hair and his eyes closed. When he was in a crouching position, he opened his legs. He then rose again, pulling himself up on the pole, one leg hooked around it. Slowly, he slid down again, letting the pole go with his hands as he leaned backwards.

When he was standing on the floor again, he threw his legs up again, making cartwheel while holding on to the pole.

His feet on the ground, he faced his audience – Ace – his back against the pole as he rolled his hips, holding on to the pole with both hands above his head. He then let go of one, leaning backwards so his hips were thrust forward. Turning, he placed both hands on the pole again, a bit apart, as he lifted his body from the ground until it was parallel with the ground.

He wouldn’t be able to hold this position for long, so he let himself slide down again until he was on his knees on the ground in front of the pole as the last notes of the song died away.

Applause arose, though sounding a bit muffled, and when Marco looked up, he saw Ace was still too stunned to react. The sound was coming from somewhere else, and it wasn’t hard to guess who it was.

Shanks stood in the corner of the room, a shit-eating grin on his face as he slapped his hand against his leg in a one-handed applause. “I didn’t know you still had it in you.”

Marco rose and dusted off his clothes. “Well, I used to be able to do more.”

“Of course, but you’ve been out of it for several years. If you’re ever in need of a job, I could use a veteran like you.” Shanks waggled his eyebrows.

Marco eyed Ace, who still hadn’t said a word, but nodded fervently. He sighed. “Actually, I lost my job today…”

“Really? I was just kidding, but if you’re serious, I’ll sign you up right away,” Shanks said, a little too eagerly.

Marco shrugged. “Why the hell not?”

“Marvellous!” Shanks grinned again. “Ace, could you grab a contract from my office? It should be on my desk.”

As Ace nodded and scurried off, Marco raised an eyebrow. “Something happened to your legs too?”

“I just needed him to leave for a moment.” Shanks’ face was uncharacteristically serious. “Look, there is another reason I want you here, aside from you being hot and good at this. These boys…” He sighed. “I try to protect them, by having meetings about clients they have a bad feeling about, but they need to tell me in order for me to do something about it. I found out too late about Ace’s stalker. Something like that can never happen again.”

Marco nodded.

“I try to run a good place, but I can’t help them if they don’t tell me. That’s why I need you to find out these things and report them to me. So I can take care of them,” Shanks concluded grimly.

Marco placed a hand on his shoulder. “I wouldn’t have agreed to work here if I didn’t think you changed a lot. I know you’re a good boss, and I will try my best to protect them too.”

Shanks sighed in relief and smiled. “Thanks.”

Ace returned with the contract, and despite Shanks being his friend, Marco put on his glasses again and read it through carefully. It was a contract for a year, and that sounded fine to him. He wasn’t sure how long he wanted to work as a stripper, but if it was with Ace, it should be fun.

Ace had sat down next to him and read along, grinning as Marco signed.

“So, you want to go back to your old routine or—” Shanks stopped talking abruptly and an unsettling grin appeared on his face. “You know, you two would look great together.”

Marco sighed. “I knew I was going to regret this. It seems I woke the pervert inside of him.”

“The pervert in him is never far,” Ace said with a chuckle and kissed Marco on the lips. “You looked amazing up there, by the way.”

“If you were gonna do _that_ on stage, you’d make me a very rich man,” Shanks said with a grin.

Marco shot him an unamused look, and Shanks pouted.

“Fine. But I was serious about putting you two together. We could do something with fire, how about that?”

“I’m not sure if the fire department would agree with that,” Marco started to protest, but Ace’s eyes were shining and he looked at Marco pleadingly.

“See? Ace agrees with me.”

Marco shook his head as Shanks and Ace started to plan the whole thing, and wondered how his life had changed so drastically in just one day.

He had kissed Ace, the man he had had a crush on for a long time now, for the first time and started dating him, lost his old job and started working as a stripper in the strip club he had worked in when he was going to university himself, now owned by one of his former fellow strippers.

Still, he wasn’t upset about it. He had enjoyed his former job, sure. He had loved helping students out, but his boss had been a nightmare. Shanks was a good boss, albeit an annoying one. And if he was honest, Marco looked forward to work with Ace.

It was going to be complicated, Marco didn’t doubt that. Both Ace’s as well as his own brothers didn’t know about the strip club, and while Marco had kept it a secret while he was going to university, he wasn’t so sure he still wanted that. But he would have to discuss that with Ace.

For now, though, as he looked at the excited look on Ace’s face, one that he not that long ago thought he would never see, Marco decided his life had actually made a turn for the better.


	27. The Half-Naked Truth

For the umpteenth time, Sabo checked the address that Marco had texted him. Why he had invited Sabo and Luffy – though he had said Luffy was optional – to come to what seemed to be an abandoned building at ten at night was beyond Sabo. He had seen people go in, so it wasn’t completely abandoned, but still, it looked fishy.

However, Luffy was bored, so Sabo decided to find out what Marco wanted. He didn’t think Marco would send them on a wild goose chase or endanger them deliberately; after all, he liked Ace too much for that.

Sabo smirked at that. It had been a week since those two has started dating, and even though Sabo had scolded Ace thoroughly for making Marco lose his job – and Marco too, he should have known better than to kiss a _student_ in his office – they were cute together. And, more importantly, Ace seemed happy.

What exactly had made Ace scared or at least wary of Marco at first seemed to have been completely resolved, so Sabo had decided he wouldn’t ask.

However, it had been a surprise when Marco had suddenly texted him that evening. Ace was at work, but apparently, he was not invited anyway.

“Sabo? Luffy? What are you doing here?” Izo’s voice suddenly sounded behind them.

“What are _you_ doing here?” Sabo asked with a raised eyebrow when he had turned to Izo, who was accompanied by Thatch. “Marco invited us.”

“Really? Does Ace know about that?” Izo asked.

Sabo shrugged. “How should I know? And why would he care?”

Thatch and Izo exchanged a glance. “Well,” the latter started, “never mind. But Ace invited _us_.”

“Is this the right address, though? There doesn’t seem to be much here.”

Sabo wrinkled his nose when Izo suddenly patted him on the head and said, “Such innocence! You’ll find out soon enough.”

Izo and Thatch led them to the building. Sabo heard Thatch mutter to Izo in a whiny voice, “Why do _I_ have to be here?”

“Shut it. Ace invited us both,” Izo hissed back.

At the door, there was a bouncer, but after one look over his sunglasses, he let Izo, Thatch and Sabo through. Only Luffy had to show his ID, which made Sabo even more suspicious about the place.

Those suspicions were confirmed as soon as he stepped inside. Loud music hit his ears and suddenly, there were a lot more scarcely dressed men than there had been before. Sabo hastily covered Luffy’s eyes.

“Welcome to the Red Force, the best male strip club in town,” Izo said in a dramatic voice.

Sabo’s mouth fell open. This explained a _lot_. Ace had invited Izo and Thatch there. Sabo had had his suspicions that Ace wasn’t working as a night security guard all along, with his vagueness on where it was and never allowing Sabo or Luffy to come with him. But did that mean that he worked _here_?

And what did Marco have to do with it all?

He didn’t have much time to think about it, as the music suddenly died away. Fire flared up from the edge of the stage, beautiful orange and light blue coloured flames. As soon as they had disappeared, Sabo noticed two figures on stage, their back turned to the audience.

Music started to play, and the figures slowly turned around.

Sabo’s jaw dropped even further, if possible, and he was sure Izo and Thatch mirrored his expression. Because, on stage, were none other than Ace _and_ Marco.

Ace was wearing nothing but shorts and a cowboy hat, while Marco was wearing shorts too, with a sash tied around his waist, but a jacket as well, though it hung open and revealed his abs.

In Sabo’s shock, Luffy managed to squirm loose from his hold. When he saw Ace and Marco, he cocked his head a little and said, “Oh, Ace is here too!”

Sabo covered his eyes again, while he couldn’t tear his own from the stage. Ace and Marco had started dancing, swaying they hips seductively. At the same time, they made their way to a pole on either side of the stage and pulled themselves up on it. They wrapped their legs around the pole and let themselves slide down. When their feet hit the ground, they made a cartwheel while still holding on to the pole, before walking to the centre of the stage again. Marco stood still, while Ace walked around him, one hand touching him. When he was standing behind Marco, he pulled off the jacket and discarded it somewhere on the stage.

The audience went wild.

Marco turned around, wrapping his arm around Ace’s waist and dipping him. Ace held on to his hat and grinned at the audience.

Marco pulled him back to his feet, and they made their way to the poles again. Marco pulled himself up, swinging his legs in the air with the pole between it and flipping himself over until he was hanging upside down.

On the other end, Ace danced around the pole. He threw off his hat, pulling himself up and sliding down again.

They moved back to the centre. Ace let his hands slide across Marco’s chest and slowly moved to his knees in a suggestive manner. When he was sitting down, he grabbed the waistband of Marco’s shorts and tore them off. Obviously, the pants was made to do that, but it still left Marco in nothing more than skimpy shorts with the sash still tied round his waist.

Marco smirked at Ace, helping him up and turning him around so Ace’s back was against his chest. He let his hands wander Ace’s thighs and up across his chest, while Ace closed his eyes and leaned back at Marco.

They turned away from each other one more time in favour of the pole. They grabbed it above their head while standing in front of it, rotating their hips, before grabbing it with both hands and pulling themselves up so their body was parallel to the ground.

After they had let themselves drop to the ground again, they walked back to the middle. Marco wrapped his arm around Ace, pulling him close. Their faces moved closer together, but before their lips could touch, the music stopped.

A thunderous applause arose. Marco and Ace bowed slightly and after gathering the articles of clothing again, they left the stage.

Sabo stared at the stage long after the show was over.

Thatch was the first able to speak again. “I need a drink,” he said.

Izo and Sabo nodded in approval.

They sat down at a table. Thatch ordered the strongest they had for him, Izo and Sabo. The waiter smiled and turned to Luffy. “Would you like something too?”

“Do you have meat?” Luffy asked with a serious face.

“Ehm, sure. We have chicken wings, spare ribs, steak… What would you like?”

Luffy thought for a moment and then grinned. “Yes.”

The waiter looked confusedly at Sabo, who sighed tiredly. “Just bring him everything.”

When the waiter had left, Sabo turned to Izo and Thatch. “Did you know this?”

They exchanged a look. “We… knew about Ace,” Izo finally said. “That’s actually how Ace and Marco met in the first place. We took him here on his birthday and… Well. But Marco… We had no idea.”

The drinks were brought, and Thatch had drunk his almost before the waiter had let go of the glass. “Another one please.”

Marco and Ace approached them, Marco only wearing slightly more than he had when he left the stage.

Ace smiled sheepishly. “Glad you could make it.” But when he saw Sabo’s glare, he looked to the floor. “I’m sorry I never told you. I didn’t think you’d approve.”

“Dammit, Ace!” Sabo sighed. “I just can’t believe you worked here, while I was restocking the supermarket.”

“You could work here too, if you’d like,” a voice suddenly sounded from behind him, and Sabo almost spilled his drink.

A red haired man was standing behind their booth, a grin on his face. “I noticed you when you walked in. I could use someone like you.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Ace sighed. “Shanks! You can’t recruit everyone I know!”

The man, Shanks, apparently, shrugged. “What? Let me know if you change your mind.” He handed Sabo a business card. He then eyed Izo and Thatch critically.

“Shanks,” Marco growled dangerously.

“Fine, fine. Boys, don’t chat too long. You’re working. Though the show was great.” With that, Shanks left.

Izo handed Ace a bill and patted on his lap. Ace sat down.

“Good, now you’re working again. Marco,” Izo looked at him, “were you ‘persuaded’ like that too?”

“A little, but–”

“Were you _that_ desperate for a job? It’s only been a week!”

“Technically, I was hired the same day as I lost my old job. But,” Marco hastily continued, “Shanks’s a good boss. And I enjoy it here.”

“Aren’t you a little old to be wearing outfits like that?” Izo asked disapprovingly.

“He’s not that old. And you saw it yourself, the crowd went wild for him.” Ace smirked at Marco.

“I just don’t understand. You walk in here and you get the job? I don’t buy it. Not after seeing what you did with that pole,” Izo said.

Marco looked away guiltily. “I… I’ve worked here before. When I went to university.”

“You did _what_?!” Izo jumped up, throwing Ace off his lap.

“Dude,” Thatch just said to Marco.

Marco sighed. “I just wanted to help Pops out.”

“Did he even know?!”

“Of course he did. Like I could keep something like this from him.” Marco crossed his arms before his chest. “Shanks used to work here too, that’s how we met, and he later took over the management.”

“So, what? You’re just gonna work here for the rest of your life?” Izo asked, still sounding indignantly.

“Of course not. For a year, maybe a little longer.”

Izo huffed.

Thatch wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Come on, don’t be like that. Marco didn’t want to worry us, like Ace didn’t want to worry his brothers.” He gestured to Sabo and Luffy, who was currently stuffing his face with meat and wasn’t paying attention to the conversation.

Izo sighed. “Fine. So why tell us now?”

Marco looked at Ace, who said, “We figured it was time. No more lies.” He then looked at Sabo. “I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you.”

Sabo scratched the back of his head. “I always had my suspicions you didn’t work where you said you worked. And I have to admit, you’re quite good.”

“So good,” Luffy echoed with a sigh.

“Oh?”

Luffy looked up. “Yeah, the meat here is great!”

“You think I let him watch?” Sabo asked.

Ace sighed in relief. “I wasn’t sure if we should invite him. But it seems he’s enjoying himself.”

“But wait just a minute,” Izo interjected, “this all means that it wasn’t your first time here on your birthday!”

“It was as _client_ ,” Marco replied.

“Still, I’d think you would be used to scarcely dressed men.” Izo smirked. “Yet you were immediately infatuated with Ace.”

Ace smiled when Marco looked at him.

“As I recall it, that feeling wasn’t mutual,” Sabo said as he took Luffy’s neck in a hold to steal a chicken wing and rubbed his head with his knuckles. “How come? Did Marco do something inappropriate?” he asked sharply.

“No, no,” Ace hastily said. “He was actually kind of cute.” He ignored Marco’s glare and sighed. “I just jumped to conclusions and thought he was stalking me.”

“Why?” Sabo asked and finally let go of a whining Luffy.

“Well, he was where I studied, where I did my groceries and where I lived. Besides, at the time,” Ace hesitated, “I already had a stalker.”

“Dammit, Ace!” Sabo called out slamming his fist in the table. “You don’t even tell us when we need to beat the crap out of someone?”

Luffy perked up at the thought of beating someone up. “Yeah!”

“It wasn’t a problem. He was harmless.”

Marco snorted at that.

“Well, he was until he thought you were a threat,” Ace said to him.

“What?!” Izo jumped up again. “Dammit, Marco!”

“It’s cool, he’s gone now,” Ace hastily said.

Izo huffed and sat down again.

Luffy tapped Ace’s shoulder. “What’s a stalker?”

“That’s someone who follows you around.”

“So am I your stalker too?” he asked.

“No, Lu, I like you.”

Luffy cocked his head a little. “But you like Marco.”

Ace smiled. “I do now.”

Izo sighed. “Well, Marco, if this is what you really want. But look out for all those perverts who come here.”

Marco smirked. “Perverts like you?”

Izo actually looked insulted.

Thatch patted him soothingly on the shoulder. “So are you gonna tell the others the same way as you told us?” he asked Marco.

He sighed. “I don’t think so. Besides, Izo knows, so the rest will know soon enough.”

“Oi, I resent that!” Izo exclaimed.

Thatch wrapped his arm around him. “It’s a little bit true, though.” He turned to Marco. “As long as you’re okay with it, we’ll support you.”

“What he said,” Sabo said to Ace. “Just don’t keep stuff from us anymore, okay? Unless it’s whatever the hell you two do,” he gestured between Ace and Marco, “in your own time. I do not need to know that.”

“Oi!” Ace said, his cheeks slightly flushed. “But I got it.”

“Good.” Sabo rose. “But after seeing all these men, I think I need to see some boobs now.”

“There is a female strip club across the street,” Ace suggested.

“Sound good.”

“Do they have meat too?” Luffy ran after him.

“Wait for me!” Thatch shouted and followed too.

“Thatch! How dare you! Come back right now!” Izo stormed after them.

Marco and Ace stayed behind, shaking their heads with a smile.

“Are you okay with this?” Marco asked.

“I am. Are you?”

Marco smiled and wrapped an arm around him. “Me too.”

“Alright then.” Ace grabbed his hand and pulled him along. “We’ve got some perverts to entertain.”


End file.
